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US Embassy responds to reports about US citizen arrested in Russia

Earlier a source from Moscow’s Ostankino District Court said that Robert Romanov Woodland had been placed under arrest on charges of attempting to illegally produce and distribute narcotic substances

MOSCOW, January 9./TASS/. The US Embassy to Russia has said it is aware of the situation around the arrest of US national Robert Woodland.

"We are aware of reports of the recent detention of a US citizen in Russia," the embassy in Moscow told TASS.

"The US Department of State has no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas. Whenever a US citizen is detained overseas, our embassies and consulates stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance," the mission said.

Earlier a source from Moscow’s Ostankino District Court told TASS that Woodland had been placed under arrest on charges of attempting to illegally produce and distribute narcotic substances. "By decree of Moscow’s Ostankino District Court, [US citizen] Robert Romanov Woodland has been ordered detained until March 5. He is accused of committing a crime under Russian Criminal Code Article 30 (Part 3) (‘Plotting and Attempting a Crime’) and Article 228.1 (Part 4) (‘Illegal Production, Trade or Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances or their Analogues’)," the court official said.

The defense, in turn, asked for a more lenient measure of restraint. In making its decision, the court took into account that Woodland is accused of committing a crime that is categorized as especially grave, is a person with dual citizenship, does not live where he is registered and does not officially work.