.A past U.S. paratrooper as well as stone musician detained in Russia much more than a year ago on drug fees was actually punished to 13 years in prison on Thursday, the Moscow court device's press solution mentioned.Michael Travis Leake, that fronted the Moscow-based rock band Lovi Noch, was actually apprehended in June 2023 after prosecutors indicted him of "organizing a medication handling service including youngsters.".Moscow's Khamovnitchesky Courtroom located him guilty of crimes hooked up to the sale of unlawful drugs, the court's media service stated in a message on Telegram. He was actually penalized to 13 years in a maximum-security prison colony.Leake was jailed together with Veronika Grabanchuk, an additional offender pronounced guilty of drug costs. Her connection to Leake was actually certainly not quickly very clear.Arrests of U.S. people in Russia have actually raised in recent years, in what Washington considers a Kremlin maneuver to get the launch of Russians sentenced abroad.To name a few American consumers kept in Russian jails are actually previous marines Robert Gilman and also Paul Whelan, along with journalists Evan Gershkovich and also Alsu Kurmasheva.