The Legal Trouble Facing Britney Griner In Russia

In February 2022, American basketball player Brittney Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner, who plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League during the WNBA offseason, was convicted of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced to nine years in prison. She was eventually released in December 2022 as part of a prisoner swap between Russia and the United States.

Brittney Griner was charged with drug possession

Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star, was charged with drug possession after Russian authorities detained her at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in February 2022. Griner was found with vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage, which is illegal in Russia.

Griner pleaded guilty to the drug possession and smuggling charges during her trial. She acknowledged that she had the canisters in her possession but stated that she had no intention of breaking Russian law. Griner's lawyers argued that the canisters ended up in her luggage due to hasty packing and that she was using medicinal cannabis for chronic pain and injuries. They also presented character witnesses and written testimony from a doctor who prescribed cannabis for pain treatment.

The case gained significant attention due to the possibility of a high-stakes prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia. Despite Griner's guilty plea, the US State Department insisted that she was unlawfully detained. There were intense attempts by US lawmakers and diplomats to secure her release, with President Joe Biden working to bring Griner home.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison, close to the maximum of ten years she faced under the charges. This sentence was denounced by Biden as "unacceptable," and he continued to call for her immediate release. The severity of the sentence increased pressure on the Biden administration to negotiate her release, possibly through a prisoner swap.

The case of Brittney Griner highlights the complexities of international law and the challenges faced by individuals detained in foreign countries, even when they have strong support from their government.

She was also charged with drug smuggling

On February 17, 2022, American basketball player Brittney Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia. Griner was found to be carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, a substance that is illegal in Russia. She was subsequently charged with drug smuggling and possession.

Griner, a WNBA star and Team USA Olympic athlete, pleaded guilty to the drug charges but maintained that she had no criminal intent. She stated that she never meant to break any law and that it was an honest mistake. Griner's lawyers argued that the canisters ended up in her luggage due to hasty packing and presented character witnesses and written testimony from a doctor who prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment.

Russian prosecutors requested a sentence of 9.5 years in prison for Griner, and she was ultimately sentenced to nine years in prison and fined 1 million rubles (approximately US$16,301). Griner's case garnered significant attention and support from US officials, lawmakers, and the world of professional basketball. There were intense attempts by US diplomats and lawmakers to secure her release, with some characterizing her as a high-profile hostage.

Griner's conviction and sentencing were widely seen as a formality, as the length of her detainment was expected to be determined by negotiations on a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia. On December 8, 2022, after months of negotiations, Griner was released as part of a 1-for-1 prisoner exchange, with Russia's Viktor Bout, an international arms dealer, being traded for her.

While Griner's release was celebrated, there was also criticism of the prisoner exchange. Some, including Republican politicians, characterized the swap as "stupid" and an "unpatriotic embarrassment". There was also criticism that the exchange did not include other Americans detained in Russia, such as Paul Whelan, who was jailed on espionage charges.

In summary, Brittney Griner was charged with drug smuggling and possession in Russia after being found with vape cartridges containing hash oil. She pleaded guilty, maintaining that she had no intent to break the law, and was ultimately sentenced to nine years in prison. Her case sparked intense diplomatic efforts and culminated in a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia.

Griner pleaded guilty to the charges

On February 17, 2022, American basketball player Brittney Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia. Griner, who had played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League during the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) offseason, was arrested after Russian Federal Customs Service officials discovered vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

Griner was charged with two Russian drug charges: possession without intent to sell and travelling into Russia with a controlled substance. On July 7, 2022, Griner pleaded guilty to the charges, stating, "I'd like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law."

Griner's guilty plea was a strategic decision, as it potentially opened the door for a more lenient sentence in a country with a conviction rate higher than 97%. Additionally, it may have been a necessary step towards a prisoner swap, which seemed to be the ultimate goal. By admitting guilt, Griner gave the Russian prosecutors a "win" and showed respect for Russian law.

Despite her guilty plea, Griner maintained that she never intended to break any laws. Her lawyers argued that the canisters ended up in her luggage due to hasty packing and presented character witnesses and written testimony from a doctor who prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment.

On August 4, 2022, Griner was convicted of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced to nine years in prison. However, her case gained significant attention, with US officials and supporters calling for her release, fearing that she was being used as a pawn in Russia's conflict with Ukraine.

Finally, on December 8, 2022, Griner was released as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States. She was traded for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year sentence in the US.

She was sentenced to nine years in prison

On August 4, 2022, a Russian judge convicted WNBA star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced her to nine years in prison. Griner was arrested in February 2022 after Russian Federal Customs Service officials found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow.

The two charges Griner faced were separate offences: the possession charge is usually a lesser offence and one that is handled by imposing a heavy fine, while the second charge of travelling into the country with a controlled substance carries a harsher five-year minimum to 10-year maximum sentence. However, judges can choose to impose a lesser penalty.

Griner pleaded guilty to the charges but maintained that she had no criminal intent. She said, "I'd like to plead guilty, your honour. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law." Her legal team emphasised that Griner's guilty plea was a brave decision and that she took full responsibility for her actions as a role model for many people. They hoped that the plea would be considered by the court as a mitigating factor and that she would not receive a severe sentence.

The prosecution had requested a sentence of nine and a half years in prison, in addition to a fine of 1 million rubles (approximately $16,700). Legal experts viewed a guilty verdict as a formality, as the length of Griner's detainment was expected to be determined by negotiations on a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia.

Following her conviction, Griner was transferred to a Russian penal colony in November 2022. Her lawyers and U.S. officials were not aware of her transfer until several days after it occurred. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed that every minute of Griner's wrongful detention in Russia was too long and that the U.S. government was working tirelessly to secure her release.

On December 8, 2022, Griner was released as part of a 1-for-1 prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States. She was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S. for terrorism-related charges.

Griner was eventually released as part of a prisoner swap

On February 17, 2022, American basketball player Brittney Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, after being found with vape cartridges containing less than a gram of hash oil in her luggage. In Arizona, Griner had been prescribed medicinal cannabis, but the substance is illegal in Russia. Griner was eventually sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony and fined 1 million rubles (US$16,301).

Griner's arrest came at a time of strained diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Some U.S. officials expressed concern that Russia was using Griner as leverage in response to international sanctions imposed on the country. Former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas characterised Griner as a "high-profile hostage".

Griner's case emerged as a major inflection point in U.S.-Russia diplomacy, yielding the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow since the start of the war. In July 2022, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, for the first time in more than five months, offering a deal in which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges, would be exchanged for Viktor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer.

On December 8, 2022, after months of negotiations, Russia and the United States conducted a 1-for-1 prisoner exchange, with Griner being traded for Bout. Griner was released after almost 10 months in jail, during which she endured dehumanising and unsanitary conditions. U.S. President Joe Biden, who had made Griner's release a top priority, said he found her "in good spirits" following the swap.

While Griner's release was celebrated as a "huge win", it also drew criticism from some, including Republican politicians and Whelan himself, who expressed disappointment that he had been left behind. Biden stated that Russia was treating Whelan's case differently for ""totally illegitimate reasons," suggesting that Whelan was considered an agent by the Russians and thus required an exchange of comparable value. Despite the challenges, Griner's release marked a significant moment in the ongoing efforts to secure the freedom of wrongfully detained Americans in Russia and shone a light on the complex dynamics of international prisoner exchanges.

Frequently asked questions