American citizen Woodland was found guilty of drug trafficking by a Moscow court. He was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison

MOSCOW — Robert Woodland, a Russian-born U.S. citizen, was convicted of drug-related offenses by a Moscow court and sentenced Thursday to 12 1/2 years in prison, court officials and his lawyers said.

According to a statement posted online by judicial authorities, he was convicted of attempting to traffic large quantities of illegal drugs as part of an organized gang and sentenced to 12 1/2 years in a maximum-security penal colony. His lawyers told reporters after the verdict was delivered Thursday that they would appeal the judgment because Woodland's guilt has not been proven.

Attorney Stanislav Kshevitsky also said Woodland suffered from unspecified mental health issues. He did not provide details, but said the court did not consider those issues.

Russian media reported that his name matches that of a U.S. citizen interviewed in 2020 who said he was born in the Perm region in 1991 and adopted by an American couple at age 2. He was arrested in January.

He said he traveled to Russia to reunite with his mother and met her on a TV show before deciding to move to Russia. Russian news agency Interfax cited court officials as saying Woodland also has Russian citizenship.

Arrests of Americans in Russia have become increasingly frequent as relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated to their lowest point since the Cold War. Washington accuses Moscow of targeting its citizens and using them as political bargaining chips, but Russian officials insist they have all broken the law.

Some have been exchanged for Russians held in the United States, while for others the prospects of being released in an exchange are less clear.

The U.S. State Department said Thursday it was aware of the conviction of a U.S. citizen by a Russian court and that the embassy in Moscow was closely following the case. The department, citing confidentiality concerns, said it would have no further comment.