Michael Travis Leake, a citizen of the United States, has been nabbed and detained by Russian operatives on drug trafficking allegations.

NBC reported that Leake, a singer, and paratrooper, was detained on Saturday in Moscow.

According to the state-run radio Sputnik, Leake has been indicted over “illegal production, sale or shipment of narcotic drugs on a large scale.”

Later, the detention was validated by Moscow’s courts. The maximum term for this offence, as stated, was 20 years in prison.

Referring to the incident, a State Department spokesperson noted that the Department seeks diplomatic access as quickly as possible and attempts to offer all necessary diplomatic support when a US citizen is apprehended abroad.

He added that the Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad.

NBC, however, reported that the singer, Leake, will be remanded in custody till the 6th of August.

Meanwhile, the US government has declared that it will keep applying pressure to Russia to free detained Americans Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich.