A man from upstate New York is Russia's latest arrestee. The Moscow Times reports that Robert Romanov Woodland, believed to be in his early 30s, has been hit with drug charges there, accused of the "illegal acquisition, storage, transportation, production, [and] processing of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their [analogs]," according to a Moscow court statement. Per Interfax, Woodland was busted by cops buying nearly 5 grams of an unnamed drug, and was also accused of having the stimulant mephedrone in his possession.
The court says that Woodland, who hails from Saranac Lake, New York, and holds dual US-Russian citizenship, will be held at least until March 5. According to Russian law, if found guilty of the crimes he's accused of, Woodland could see eight to 20 years behind bars, as well as an "unlimited" fine, per NBC News. Woodland granted an interview in 2020 to a Russian tabloid, noting that he'd been born in the Russian region of Perm in 1991, then adopted by a US couple when he was 2. He says he met his biological mother decades later, then returned to live in Russia.
"I've decided to stay in my home country forever," Woodland, an English teacher who appears to live in a Moscow suburb, said at the time. Analysts suspect that detaining Woodland, as well as other Americans, is Russia's way of holding leverage over the US amid Russia's war in Ukraine, per the AP. Other US nationals currently being held by Russia include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been awaiting trial on espionage charges since being detained last March, and former US Marine Paul Whelan, who's been held in Russia since 2018, also for espionage. (Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said he wants to "find a solution" on Gershkovich and Whelan.)
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