WNBA star Brittney Griner was found guilty by a Russian court on Thursday on drug smuggling and possession charges and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony.
The verdict came after closing arguments in Griner’s trial at a court near Moscow.
The two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist has been in a Russian jail for almost six months since her arrest at Moscow’s airport in February with two vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her bags. Cannabis is illegal in Russia, but Griner’s attorneys have argued that she has a valid medical prescription and that she didn’t intentionally pack the cartridges. However, in its verdict, the court ruled that Griner had deliberately intended to smuggle cannabis.
The 31-year-old, who’d faced a total of 10 years in prison, pleaded guilty to the charges last month in a bid for leniency from the court. Last week, Griner testified she packed the vape cartridges by accident and that she had ‘no intention’ of breaking Russian law. Prosecutors argued for a 9 1/2-year jail sentence for Griner; however, the court rejected those arguments and sentenced Griner to nine years in jail, and a fine of 9 million rubles (equal to about $150,000). Griner’s attorneys said the verdict was “absolutely unreasonable” and promised to exercise the basketball star’s right to an appeal.
President Joe Biden said he’s doing everything possible to secure Griner’s release.
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