.A past U.S. paratrooper as well as rock entertainer confined in Russia greater than a year ago on drug fees was actually sentenced to thirteen years in prison on Thursday, the Moscow court of law device's media service said.Michael Travis Leake, that overlooked the Moscow-based rock band Lovi Noch, was apprehended in June 2023 after district attorneys accused him of "coordinating a medication dealing company including youngsters.".Moscow's Khamovnitchesky Courthouse found him bad of crimes linked to the purchase of unlawful anesthetics, the court's media solution claimed in a blog post on Telegram. He was actually punished to thirteen years in a maximum-security jail swarm.Leake was actually imprisoned alongside Veronika Grabanchuk, yet another offender founded guilty of medication costs. Her relation to Leake was not right away crystal clear.Arrests of united state consumers in Russia have increased in recent years, in what Washington considers a Kremlin tactic to secure the launch of Russians convicted abroad.To name a few American citizens held in Russian jails are previous marines Robert Gilman and Paul Whelan, along with journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva.