The U.S. apologized to Russia on Thursday for what it called a diplomatic slip-up in the case of a Russian man arrested in Africa and then extradited to the U.S. for alleged drug smuggling.

The Russian government had expressed outrage at U.S. handling of the case, calling the U.S. guilty of "open lawlessness."

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said there was an unintended delay in notifying Russian authorities that they could visit the man, Konstantin Yaroshenko, 41, now in detention in New York.

chippewa.com