American singer, Michael Travis Leake charged for drug trafficking
According to reports, a Russian court sentenced an American singer to 13 years in prison for narcotics offenses. Additionally a former soldier, Michael Travis Leake was charged with running a drug trafficking operation that involved minors, according to Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti. An arrest was made of Leake in Moscow last year. According to sources, Veronika Grabanchuk, the second defendant, was also found guilty.
![](https://publishedreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/storage.webp)
St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square. According to local sources, American singer and former paratrooper Michael Travis Leake has been sentenced to 13 years in a Russian prison. Leake, who had been residing in Russia for a long time, was 51 years old when he was arrested.
The former paratrooper was active in Russia’s rock scene, fronting the band Lovi Noch and working with well-known Russian rock bands. He had previously taught English and performed music throughout the nation. In a 2014 episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown,” he talked about political censorship in Russia and highlighted his role in the music industry.
Google Warns That Putin’s Spies Could Endanger the Paris Olympics as a Longtime Russian ally conducts joint military drills with the US. “I do not believe that I have done what I have been accused of, and I am not admitting guilt because I am unsure of what I have been accused of.” Leake told the camera in the footage.
It was alleged at the time of Leake’s arrest that “drug packages” had been discovered on his person by Russian authorities. Leake is just one of numerous US nationals who have been held in Russia in the past few years. Reporter Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal was arrested in March 2023 on suspicion of espionage; the U.S. Government and the Wall Street Journal have refuted these accusations. According to the American administration, Gershkovich was “wrongly detained.”
Previous to this, WSJ editor in chief Emma Tucker wrote in an open letter, “This bogus accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a bogus conviction for an innocent man.” Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, has been detained in Russia since 2018. 2020 saw his espionage conviction and 16-year sentence.
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, has been detained in Russia since 2018. He was found guilty of spying in 2020 and given a 16-year prison term. Whelan asserts his innocence, as does the US government, saying he was in Russia attending a wedding at the time of his arrest. Journalist and dual citizen of Russia and the United States Allsu Kurmasheva was arrested in May on suspicion of not registering as a foreign agent, an accusation frequently brought against journalists and non-governmental.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.