American convicted on drug-related charges in Russia loses appeal

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in the Russian capital has rejected an American citizen’s appeal against against his sentence on drug-related charges. Robert Woodland, a Russia-born U.S. citizen, was convicted of attempted trafficking of illegal drugs and sentenced to 12 1/2 years in July. The Moscow City Court on Tuesday rejected Woodland’s appeal. Russian media said that his name matches a U.S. citizen interviewed in 2020 who said he was born in Russia and adopted by an American couple at age 2. He said he traveled to Russia to find his mother and eventually met her on a TV show. Arrests of Americans in Russia have become increasingly common as relations between Moscow and Washington sink to Cold War lows.