Russia Frees American Citizens Who Smuggle Cannabis In Sedai Jeruk

JAKARTA - The Russian government has released a US citizen who was detained on charges of possession of marijuana-type drugs.

Kalob Byers, 28, was detained at Moscow's Vnukovo airport during a baggage check on February 7, after customs officers found orange butter containing marijuana in its trunk.

A spokesman for the US Embassy called Moscow's release Byers "a welcome attitude".

The Kremlin, when asked if Byers' release showed increased US-Russia relations, said negotiations in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, aimed at restoring relations between Moscow and Washington.

Certain events can be seen in this context, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Mrs. Byers, Tonya Shuler, wrote on Facebook on Saturday that her son was in American custody and at the US embassy awaiting a flight home from Russia.

He faces up to ten years in prison on charges of drug smuggling.

At least 10 other Americans are still behind bars in Russia.

They include Stephen Hubbard, a 73-year-old Michigan resident who was jailed in October for nearly seven years on charges of being a mercenaries in Ukraine.

His family denied he was taking up arms.

There is also Ksenia Karelina, a double Russian-American citizen, was sentenced to 12 years in prison last year for donating more than $50 to a US charity that provides humanitarian support to Ukraine.

Hubbard and Karelina have been designated by Washington as misleading detentions, that pave the diplomatic path to negotiate their release.