A Russian jury has decided the fate of WNBA champion Brittney Griner. Guilty on the charge of drug smuggling. Griner has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
Russian authorities arrested Griner in February after a drug-sniffing dog at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport alerted its handler to her luggage. Officers found vape cartridges containing less than one gram of cannabis oil inside. Griner said that she didn't know the cartridges were there and wouldn't have brought them knowing Russia's strict drug laws. CBD oil is legal in Arizona, where Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury.
Yahoo! Sports has more on Griner's final plea for leniency from the Khimki city courthouse outside of Moscow.
Closing arguments ended with Griner herself having the final word. Standing in the defendant's cage at the back of the tiny courtroom, Griner took responsibility for her “mistake” and apologized to her family, her teammates and her Russian club for “the embarrassment I brought on them.”
I never meant to hurt anybody,” Griner said. “I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population. I never meant to break any laws here. I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here.
“I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom,” Griner continued. “I want to say again that I had no intent of breaking Russian laws. I had no intent. I did not conspire or plan to commit this crime.”
Prosecutors are seeking a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Griner, who many consider a hostage.
A guilty verdict was considered a near certainty.
The US State Department maintains Griner is wrongfully detained. Her supporters have called for her release and asked the US to take further steps to try to free her from the country, perhaps as part of a proposed prisoner swap.
President Biden recently announced he is prepared to exchange Russian Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. But Russian officials have asked for Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel with Russia's Foreign Intelligence Services to be released as well.
As American Liberty News reported at the time:
Griner traveled to Russia to play basketball for the Russian Premier League during the WNBA's offseason.
The eight-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medal winner testified Wednesday that during her interrogation, the translator only told her some of what was being discussed and that officials made her sign documents without explanation.
This anti-American would be the last prisoner I’d swap.
When are these folks going to learn that US laws don’t count in a foreign country?? I don’t care if it’s Russia or Sweden. Yeah, maybe 9 years is a bit much, but if that’s Russian law, then it’s Russian law. And she “didn’t know how it got there”?!?!?! Puh-leeze. And didn’t she whine about how “awful” the USofA was? Well, sweetheart, you’re about to get a taste of what’s REALLY awful.
Easy error, but costly. People are so accustomed to breaking the law they’ve become blaise’ to the consequences. We should make the trade but she needs to be held accountable by the US. I’m willing to bet, after all of her denigration of our free country, she appreciates America now.
Russians want a second nasty guy in return. It would be 2 for 2 and a second family would be happy in the U.S. I agree with the above. If Griner was known to bad mouth the U.S. She better change her tune when she gets back rather than rot in a Russian prison. I suspect the trade will eventually go through and the world will learn not to try to bring illegal drugs into any country that doesn’t allow it. The sniffing dogs are that good. Shear stupidity on her part.
Big surprise – NOT.
Lock her up!
The “authorities” here will do nothing of course. And Buffoon Bidet and the anti-Americans in DC will happily trade 4 or 5 real bad guys for her release, they don’t really care about the unjustly imprisoned Marine but they’ll take him if he’s part of the package. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the “basketball star” isn’t livid and indignant that the USA didn’t do more sooner to get her back. We are living in an upside down clown world at present.