Russian court orders US citizen suspected of drug smuggling to be held in custody
A Moscow court has ordered a U.S. citizen suspected of drug smuggling held in pre-trial detention for 30 days, the Moscow courts press service said Saturday, days after a Moscow-Washington prisoner swap that the White House called a diplomatic thaw and a step toward ending the fighting in Ukraine.
MOSCOW — A Moscow court has ordered a U.S. citizen suspected of drug smuggling held in pre-trial detention for 30 days, the Moscow courts press service said Saturday, days after a Moscow-Washington prisoner swap that the White House called a diplomatic thaw and a step toward ending the fighting in Ukraine.
The U.S. citizen, whom Saturday’s statement named as Kalob Wayne Byers, was detained after airport customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage.
Russian police said the 28-year-old American had attempted to smuggle a “significant amount” of drugs into the country, the Interfax agency reported, citing Russia’s Federal Customs Service. The agency said the American was detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after flying in from Istanbul on Feb. 7.
Mash, a Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services, said the U.S. citizen faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
U.S. citizen, Kalob Wayne Byers, detained on suspicion of drug smuggling, appears on a screen in the courthouse during a video link to a court hearing in Moscow, on Saturday.Moscow City Court's Press Office via ReutersThere was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department.
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