Griner's Arrest: Understanding Her Legal Predicament

WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested in February 2022 at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after Russian officials found vape cartridges containing hash oil in her luggage. Hashish oil is illegal in Russia, and Griner was charged with drug smuggling and possession. Griner pleaded guilty, but claimed she had no intention of breaking Russian law, saying it was an honest mistake. She was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison.

Brittney Griner was found guilty of drug smuggling and possession in Russia

On August 4, 2022, U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was found guilty of drug smuggling and possession in Russia and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Griner was arrested on February 17 at a Moscow airport after police found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. The two-time U.S. Olympic champion and eight-time all-star with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury listened with a blank expression as an interpreter translated the verdict.

Griner was also fined 1 million rubles (about $16,700). The sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years that Griner could have faced under the charges, and more than what most Russians possessing small quantities of drugs would receive. The severity of the sentence has raised speculation that Russia could use Griner as leverage in a prisoner exchange with the U.S.

Griner's lawyers said she was very upset and stressed by the verdict. Under Russian law, she has 10 days to appeal, and her lawyers said they expect a hearing in the Moscow regional court the following week. They also said they would consider the possibility of Griner asking for a pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

U.S. President Joe Biden denounced the verdict and sentence as "unacceptable" and said he would continue to work to bring Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction, back to the U.S. Outside the court, the U.S. Embassy's charge d'affaires, Elizabeth Rood, called the outcome "a miscarriage of justice."

Griner's case has raised strong criticism from her supporters in the U.S., including her wife, Cherelle, who have said that Biden was not doing enough to secure her freedom. Griner sent a personal appeal to Biden, and more than 1,100 Black female leaders urged the administration to "make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly and safely."

In response, Biden has pursued diplomatic channels to secure Griner's release. In July 2022, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken communicated with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and offered a deal to trade convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner and Whelan. However, Russian officials have insisted that, under Russian law, the country could not consider a deal before Griner was sentenced.

Throughout her trial, Griner maintained that she had no intention of breaking Russian law. She pleaded guilty, acknowledging that she unintentionally broke the law by bringing the vape cartridges into the country. Griner explained that she had packed in haste for her flight and that she was using the medicinal cannabis to treat chronic pain and injuries from her basketball career. She also described a confusing scene at the airport, where she claimed an interpreter provided by authorities translated only a fraction of what was being said to her and that officials told her to sign documents without explaining their content.

Despite Griner's pleas, the judge gave her a sentence close to the maximum, reflecting the harsh treatment of drug offenses under Russian law. Now, attention is focused on the possibility of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia, with Griner and Whelan being traded for Bout.

She was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison

Brittney Griner, a WNBA star, was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug charges. She was found guilty of smuggling and possessing drugs. Griner was arrested in February at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow when Russian officials found vape cartridges containing hash oil, a substance that is illegal in Russia, in her luggage.

Griner pleaded guilty to the charges but maintained that she did not intend to break Russian law. She said that she accidentally packed the vape cartridges and was unaware of how they ended up in her bag. Griner also stated that she was stressed and rushed while packing and was recovering from a recent COVID-19 diagnosis.

The Biden administration and other US officials have been working to secure Griner's release. They have characterised her as being wrongfully detained and possibly used as a political pawn by Russia in response to Western sanctions imposed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There have been discussions of a potential prisoner exchange involving Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2019, for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner's lawyers have appealed her sentence, but a Moscow court rejected the appeal. She was transferred to a penal colony in Russia's Mordovia region, and after nearly ten months in Russian custody, she was released in a prisoner swap and returned to the United States.

Griner was detained for possessing vape cartridges containing hash oil

WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained in Russia for possessing vape cartridges containing hash oil, which is illegal in the country. Griner was travelling to Russia to play in her seventh season with the prominent women's basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg when she was stopped at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow on 17 February 2022. Russian officials discovered the cartridges containing hashish oil, a more concentrated form of marijuana, in her luggage.

Hashish oil is illegal in Russia, and Griner was charged with drug smuggling and possession. She pleaded guilty to the charges, but maintained that she did not intend to break Russian law. Griner explained that she was stressed and rushed while packing and was recovering from a recent COVID-19 diagnosis that required her to take a test before getting on the plane. She also stated that she was not offered access to lawyers or informed of her rights during her detention.

Griner's trial began on 1 July 2022, and on 4 August, she was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison. Her sentence was close to the maximum of ten years that she could have faced. The judge seemed to be in a rush to end the trial, which had gone on for over a month. Griner's lawyers appealed the decision, but it was rejected by a Moscow court in October 2022.

Griner's case sparked intense debate and efforts from US lawmakers and diplomats to secure her release. Many saw her detention as wrongful and believed she was being used as a political pawn by Russia in response to Western sanctions imposed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration worked to secure her release, and she was eventually freed in a prisoner swap on 8 December 2022.

Griner pleaded guilty but said she never intended to break Russian law

WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained in February at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. She was later charged with the illegal possession of cannabis and large-scale transportation of drugs. Griner was travelling to Russia with a vape cartridge containing hash oil in her luggage.

Griner pleaded guilty to the charges against her, but said she never intended to break Russian law. In court, she said:

> "I'd like to plead guilty, your honour. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law."

Griner's lawyer, Alexander Boykov, said they were hoping for "the most lenient sentencing possible", as the charge against Griner carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Griner was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.

Griner's legal plea could be a defence strategy. Russian criminal trials are notoriously difficult for defendants, and experts have speculated that Griner could face retribution from authorities if she were to plead innocent.

Griner's attorney, Maria Blagovolina, said:

> "We certainly hope this circumstance, in combination with the defence evidence, will be taken into account when passing the sentence, and it will be mild."

The Biden administration worked to secure her release

WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained in Russia for possessing vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country. She was sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges. Griner pleaded guilty but said she never intended to break Russian law.

The Biden administration's decision to publicly disclose the offer was an effort to pressure the Russians and make clear to the American public that a deal was on the table. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the proposal was a substantial offer and that Biden was "directly involved" and signed off on it. The White House national security spokesman, John Kirby, said that the decision to publicly disclose the offer was not taken lightly and that it was important to lay out that a serious proposal had been made by the American side.

The potential swap faced opposition from the Department of Justice, which is generally against prisoner trades. However, Biden's support for the swap overrode this opposition. The successful release of Trevor Reed, a former Marine held captive in Russia, in exchange for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a US prison sentence, also influenced the administration's decision to reexamine all options, including potential swaps, to get Griner and Whelan out of Russia.

The Biden administration's efforts to secure Griner's release were commended by former U.S. diplomat Bill Richardson, who contributed to the negotiations. He stated that he was "thrilled and relieved" that Griner was free and called for the safe return of other U.S. political prisoners, including Whelan.

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