American arrested in Moscow on drug charges freed ahead of US-Russia talks

Russia has freed a US citizen arrested earlier this month on drug smuggling charges, according to Russian media reports and a US official.

The move appears to be an effort to ease tensions between Moscow and Washington ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Kalob Byers, 28, was detained on February 7 at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport after customs officials allegedly found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage. Byers had traveled from Istanbul with his Russian fiancée, Naida Mambetova, who was also detained. Authorities accused him of attempting to smuggle a “significant amount” of drugs into the country, a charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Byers has since been released and is currently at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, awaiting a flight home, according to Russian independent news outlet Meduza.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov hinted at a broader diplomatic motive behind Byers’ release, stating that Moscow hopes to discuss “restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations” at the Saudi Arabia talks.

Arrests of U.S. nationals in Russia have become increasingly common, particularly as relations between Moscow and Washington deteriorate over the Ukraine war. Some detainees have been freed in prisoner swaps.

The most recent exchange involved Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania teacher arrested in 2021 for carrying what his family said was medically prescribed marijuana. He was sentenced to 14 years but was recently freed in a swap for Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert accused of Bitcoin fraud in the US.

The release of both Fogel and Byers signals a possible thaw in US-Russia relations.

(Source: Associated Press)