Kalob Byers, a 28-year-old American from West Virginia, has been released from Russian custody following his detention earlier this month on drug smuggling allegations. His release, confirmed by West Virginia House of Delegates Deputy Speaker David Kelly and a U.S. official, occurred Sunday evening and coincided with discussions between American and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia aimed at de-escalating the conflict in Ukraine. Byers was reportedly handed over to the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
Byers was initially apprehended at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on February 7th after allegedly being found with cannabis-infused marmalade in his luggage. He was traveling from Istanbul with his Russian fiancée, who was also detained, according to reports from Russian media outlets. Russian authorities accused Byers of attempting to smuggle a substantial quantity of drugs, a charge carrying a potential prison sentence of up to a decade.
Kalob Wayne Byers, a U.S. citizen detained earlier this month on suspicion of drug smuggling, appears on a screen in the courthouse during a video link to a court hearing in Moscow, Russia on Feb. 15. Byers was released to the U.S. embassy in Moscow on Sunday evening, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press. (Moscow City Court's Press Office/Reuters)
The status of Byers’ fiancée, identified in Russian media as Naida Mambetova, remains unclear. She was reportedly placed in pre-trial detention on similar charges. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed inquiries about Byers' release, linking it to the broader context of restoring Russian-American relations and the upcoming talks between Washington and Moscow.
The high-level meeting between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday is intended to address the ongoing war in Ukraine and pave the way for potential discussions between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This meeting follows a recent prisoner exchange involving Marc Fogel, an American teacher imprisoned in Russia on drug charges, and Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national held in the U.S. for cryptocurrency fraud. Fogel, who had been serving a 14-year sentence for possessing medically prescribed marijuana, was released last week.
Alexander Vinnik, left, and Marc Fogel following his release Tuesday. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The arrest of American citizens in Russia has become more frequent amidst strained relations between the two nations, particularly since the escalation of the war in Ukraine. Several Americans have been released through prisoner swaps.
