.A past USA paratrooper as well as stone musician confined in Russia more than a year back on medicine fees was actually sentenced to 13 years in prison on Thursday, the Moscow court of law unit's press company stated.Michael Travis Leake, that overlooked the Moscow-based rock band Lovi Noch, was actually apprehended in June 2023 after prosecutors indicted him of "managing a medication dealing organization entailing youngsters.".Moscow's Khamovnitchesky Courthouse found him guilty of criminal offenses attached to the sale of illegal anesthetics, the courthouse's press company pointed out in a message on Telegram. He was penalized to thirteen years in a maximum-security penitentiary colony.Leake was actually put behind bars along with Veronika Grabanchuk, an additional accused convicted of drug costs. Her relationship to Leake was actually certainly not instantly crystal clear.Arrests of USA residents in Russia have actually enhanced over the last few years, in what Washington sees as a Kremlin maneuver to safeguard the release of Russians founded guilty abroad.To name a few United States citizens kept in Russian jails are actually previous marines Robert Gilman and also Paul Whelan, and also reporters Evan Gershkovich and also Alsu Kurmasheva.