An American was arrested and detained in Russia on drug charges, authorities said Tuesday, making him the latest American to be held pending criminal trial in the country.
Moscow’s Ostankino District Court said in a statement dated January 6 that Robert Romanov Woodland would be detained for two months as part of “pretrial restrictions,” but the court announced on Tuesday.
He is charged with “illegal acquisition, storage, transportation, manufacture, or processing of narcotics, psychotropic substances, or similar substances,” according to the statement.
Russia’s criminal code stipulates that anyone found guilty of this crime faces a prison sentence of 8 to 20 years and an unlimited fine.
Woodland is a dual citizen of Russia and the United States, is currently unemployed and has no criminal record, according to court documents.
The document also states that investigators believe “criminal activities are his main source of income” and that pretrial detention is justified as he may go into hiding. .
The documents state that Woodland’s lawyers opposed detention and argued for house arrest instead, but the court ruled against it, saying there was insufficient medical evidence to place him in pretrial detention. It added that it was rejected.
Another American, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, is also detained and awaiting trial in Russia. In November, a Moscow court extended his detention until at least January 30.
Authorities have accused him of spying for the Russian military, a charge denied by Gershkovitch and his employer, who say he was unfairly detained while working as a journalist.
The United States says Mr. Gershkovic is one of a number of nationals wrongfully detained in the country, including former US Marine Paul Whelan. Ars Kurmasheva, a Russian-American double reporter, was detained late last year and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent.
