INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A United States citizen arrested by Russian customs officers for alleged drug smuggling has been released and is set to return home soon,
his mother said Sunday.Kalob Byers, 28, was detained on Feb
Byers claimed the sweets were prescribed by a doctor in the United States to treat his seizures.His mother, Tony Shuler, said he was held
officials in Saudi Arabia where they are expected to discuss restoring bilateral relations.There was no immediate response from United
States officials.Byers had traveled to Russia to finalize paperwork to marry his Russian fiancee, Naida Mambetova, whom he met when she was
a foreign exchange student in the United States , Shuler said
Drug smuggling charges in Russia carry prison sentences of five to 10 years.Russia is currently holding United States citizens in
detention, including dual national Ksenia Karelina, retired English teacher Stephen Hubbard and former United States Marine Robert
Gilman.Washington has previously accused Moscow of detaining Americans on politically motivated charges to use them as leverage in prisoner
swaps.Last week, Russia exchanged United States teacher Marc Fogel for convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Alexander Vinnik, marking the
first prisoner swap between the two countries since August.
