An American rock band supervisor who as soon as filmed in Russia with Anthony Bourdain has been arrested in Moscow

• An American who filmed with Anthony Bourdain has been arrested in Russia.
• Russian authorities accused Travis Leake of promoting a stimulant drug.
• Leake has lived in Russia for greater than a decade and has been a vocal critic of state oppression.

Russian authorities arrested an American rock band supervisor on Saturday in Moscow, accusing him of promoting the stimulant drug mephedrone, in line with the Related Press, Russian media, and different shops.

Michael Travis Leake, who as soon as filmed an episode of “Elements Unknown” in Russia alongside Anthony Bourdain, has lived in Russia for greater than a decade, in line with the AP. 

CNN, which aired “Elements Unknown,” stated Leake is being detained till his trial in August.

Tensions between Russia and the USA have been excessive because the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian authorities detained WNBA celebrity Brittney Griner that month after airport officers discovered a vape with hashish oil in her baggage when she arrived on the airport. She was detained for 10 months. 

This weekend, a Moscow courtroom posted to a telegram channel {that a} “former paratrooper” named “Travis Michael Leek” had been arrested for participating within the narcotics enterprise “by attracting younger individuals,” CNN reported.

No shops have confirmed the Russian authorities’s declare that Leake was a paratrooper.

CNN has since reached the person’s mom, who stated she’s conscious that Russian authorities arrested Leake and corrected the spelling of his title. Her son glided by the title Travis, she stated.

An Instagram account underneath the title Travis Leake recognized him because the singer for a band known as Lovi Noch, or “Seize the Evening,” in line with the AP.

CNN stated that Leake had been handpicked by Bourdain for the 2014 episode of “Elements Unknown” in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Leake’s band wasn’t well-known, however he was recognized for being vocal about freedom of speech and oppression in Russia, in line with CNN.

In an announcement to the AP and CNN, the U.S. State Division stated it was conscious of the reviews {that a} U.S. citizen had lately been arrested in Moscow.

When a U.S. citizen is detained abroad, the division “pursues consular entry as quickly as attainable and works to supply all acceptable consular help,” the company informed the AP.