Russian police say a prominent investigative journalist is facing charges of drug dealing.

Police said on Friday that Ivan Golunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was detained on Thursday with four grams of methylephedrine on him, and that drugs were also found at his home. The journalist now faces charges of dealing.

Meduza said in a statement on Friday that Golunov, one of the most prominent investigative journalists in Russia, was beaten while in detention and denied medical tests that would show he has not handled drugs.

Meduza said that Golunov has recently received threats linked to a story he was pursing and that it has "reasons to believe" that he is being persecuted for his work.