Russian court finds WNBA star Brittney Griner guilty of drug smuggling

On3 imageby:Steve Samra08/04/22

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The verdict is in regarding the Brittney Griner trial in Russia — authorities have found her guilty of drug charges, according to CNN.

“A Russian court has found Brittney Griner guilty of drug smuggling with criminal intent,” wrote CNN. “The 31-year-old Olympic gold medalist was arrested at a Moscow airport and accused by Russian prosecutors of trying to smuggle less than one gram of cannabis oil in her luggage.”

An apologetic Griner spoke to the courthouse on Thursday, stating she made an “honest mistake.”

“I never meant to hurt anybody, I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population, I never meant to break any laws here,” Griner said in the Khimki city courthouse on Thursday, per CNN. “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.

“I had no intent on breaking any Russian laws.”

Now, the world will keep a close eye on what comes next for the WNBA star. Griner was originally arrested at a Moscow airport about six months ago, and her nightmare has taken place ever since.

According to T.J. Quinn of ESPN, the Russian court has sentenced Griner to nine years in prison.

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“Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years by Russian court,” tweeted Quinn. “Daunting but expected sentence. Effectively closes 1st chapter in her detainment and moves her fate to the diplomatic world. Real length of detention will be however long it takes to reach deal between US & Russia.”

Afterwards, President Joe Biden released a statement, calling the sentencing “unacceptable.”

“Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” stated Biden. “It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends and teammates.”

Late in July, the United States of America government offered to swap a Russian arms dealer for the WNBA star and fellow imprisoned American Paul Whelan, according to a report from CNN.

“After months of internal debate, the Biden administration has offered to exchange Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year US prison sentence, as part of a potential deal to secure the release of two Americans held by Russia, Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, according to people briefed on the matter,” wrote CNN. “These sources told CNN that the plan to trade Bout for Whelan and Griner received the backing of President Joe Biden after being under discussion since earlier this year.

“Biden’s support for the swap overrides opposition from the Department of Justice, which is generally against prisoner trades.”

Additionally, CNN stated that a senior administration official told them following the news that they believe the offer “could be successful.”

“We communicated a substantial offer that we believe could be successful based on a history of conversations with the Russians,” a senior administration official told CNN. “We communicated that a number of weeks ago, in June.”

It hasn’t been an easy road to get to his point, as the senior official also explained to CNN that negotiating the aforementioned deal has been tough.

“It takes two to tango. We start all negotiations to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained with a bad actor on the other side. We start all of these with somebody who has taken a human being American and treated them as a bargaining chip,” the official said. “So in some ways, it’s not surprising, even if it’s disheartening, when those same actors don’t necessarily respond directly to our offers, don’t engage constructively in negotiations.”

CNN added that the families of Whelan — who has been held by Russia for alleged espionage since 2018 — Griner, who has been jailed in Moscow for drug possession since February, have urged the White House to secure their release, including via a prisoner exchange if necessary.

Time will tell what the next steps are regarding getting Brittney Griner back to the United States of America, but the verdict is just another twist in a story that seems far from finished.