Current:Home > FinanceRussia says it's detained U.S. citizen Robert Woodland on drug charges that carry possible 20-year sentence -WealthMindset Learning
Russia says it's detained U.S. citizen Robert Woodland on drug charges that carry possible 20-year sentence
View
Date:2025-04-12 23:45:30
Russia has detained and brought drug-related charges that carry a potential 20-year prison sentence against a U.S. citizen identified as Robert Romanov Woodland, 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 in a post on social media, adding that he had been detained earlier in January and was accused of various narcotics-linked offenses.
The Reuters news agency cited Russian news website Mash as reporting that Woodland, 32, was taken into custody on Jan. 5 and charged with attempted large-scale production and sale of illegal drugs.
There was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department.
In 2020, Woodland was interviewed by Russia's Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. He spoke of his decision to return to the country where he said he was born after living with a foster family in the U.S. for most of his life. He said that at the age of 26, he decided to return to Russia to try to track down his biological mother.
Facebook and Instagram accounts bearing the name Robert Woodland and appearing to be the same man indicate that he was working as an English teacher, living outside Moscow. From the profiles and the Pravda interview, it appears that Woodland is likely a dual Russian and U.S. citizen. There were no new posts on either of the social media accounts during the last year.
Moscow is holding at least two other U.S. nationals, Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, both of whom the State Department says are being wrongfully detained.
In his customary end-of-year news conference in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his government was engaged in talks with the U.S. over the men's fate, and that he hoped to "find a solution," though "it's not easy."
The U.S. has negotiated prisoner swaps with Russia in the past, including the high-profile 2022 deal that saw basketball star Brittney Griner freed by Moscow in exchange for the U.S. releasing arms dealer Viktor Bout, whose illicit deeds earned him the nickname "the Merchant of Death."
- In:
- Paul Whelan
- Robert Woodland
- Evan Gershkovich
- Russia
- Vladimir Putin
veryGood! (325)
Related
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- They're in the funny business: Cubicle comedians make light of what we all hate about work
- Where to watch 'Frosty the Snowman' before Christmas: TV, streaming options in 2023
- Home of Tampa Bay Rays eyes name change, but team says it would threaten stadium deal
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Behind the sumptuous, monstrous craft of ‘Poor Things’
- 2-year-old Virginia girl dies after accidentally shooting herself at Hampton home: Police
- Jake Paul says he 'dropped' Andre August's coach in sparring session. What really happened?
- Messi injury update: Ankle 'better every day' but Inter Miami star yet to play Leagues Cup
- College football bowl game rankings: The 41 postseason matchups from best to worst
Ranking
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Tribes are celebrating a White House deal that could save Northwest salmon
- 1 dead, 1 hospitalized after migrant boat crossing Channel deflates trying to reach Britain
- These 18 Trendy Gifts Will Cement Your Status As The Cool Sibling Once & For All
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Trevor Noah returns to host 2024 Grammy Awards for 4th year in a row
- How will college football's postseason unfold? Our expert picks for all 41 bowl games.
- See Gigi Hadid, Zoë Kravitz and More Stars at Taylor Swift's Birthday Party
Recommendation
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Kentucky governor renews pitch for higher teacher pay, universal pre-K as legislative session looms
Israel's war with Hamas rages as Biden warns Netanyahu over indiscriminate bombing in Gaza
Pennsylvania House back to a 101-101 partisan divide with the resignation of a Democratic lawmaker
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Trump loves the UFC. His campaign hopes viral videos of his appearances will help him pummel rivals
A year of war: 2023 sees worst-ever Israel-Hamas combat as Russian attacks on Ukraine grind on
A US pine species thrives when burnt. Southerners are rekindling a ‘fire culture’ to boost its range