INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian authorities have brought drug-related charges against U.S
citizen Robert Woodland, who was detained by law enforcement agents earlier this month, a Moscow court said Tuesday."On January 6, the
Ostankinsky District Court of Moscow ordered Robert Romanov Woodland to be placed in detention for a period of two months, until March 5,
2024," the court said.Woodland is accused of the "illegal acquisition, storage, transportation, manufacture, processing" of drugs and could
face 10-20 years in prison.According to Interfax, police caught Woodland purchasing 4.5 grams of an unidentified drug with the intent of
He was reportedly found in possession of the synthetic narcotic mephedrone.Woodland holds dual Russian-U.S
citizens in recent years, with critics accusing Moscow of using detainees as bargaining chips in exchange for Russians jailed in the United
States.Among the Americans detained in Russia is Paul Whelan, a former marine who was sentenced to 16 years in prison on spying charges that
he denies.In March, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich became the first Western journalist to be held on espionage charges in
Russia since the Soviet era.AFP contributed reporting.
