American citizen arrested in Moscow on drugs charges

Michael Travis Leake, described in Russian state media as a former paratrooper and musician, faces two months of pre-trial detention

An American citizen who has lived in Russia for more than a decade has been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, according to local state media.

The reports said Michael Travis Leake, 51, is accused of selling mephedrone, whose effects are similar to those of cocaine and MDMA, and that a court in Moscow has ordered for him to be held for two months in pre-trial detention.