Cameron Miranda
Brittney Griner, a Phoenix Mercury player and Olympic medalist, was arrested in February 2022 at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Russia. Griner was found to be carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, a substance that is illegal in Russia. Griner pleaded guilty to the charges of drug possession and drug smuggling, and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian jail. Griner apologised to her WNBA and Russian teams, along with her fans, and said she had no intention of breaking any Russian laws.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Law broken | Drug possession |
| Drug | Hash oil/cannabis oil |
| Intent | Griner says she did not intend to break the law |
| Sentence requested | 9.5 years |
| Fine requested | 1 million rubles ($16,700) |
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What You'll Learn
Brittney Griner was caught with hash oil in her luggage
Griner acknowledged in court that she had the canisters in her luggage. Her lawyers argued that she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her luggage due to hasty packing. They also presented character witnesses and written testimony from a doctor who said he prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment.
Drug possession is illegal in Russia, and Griner broke a very specific and clear Russian law. Whether she intended to break the law or not is irrelevant, as ignorance of the law has never been a legitimate defence. Griner faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of 1 million rubles (about $16,700).
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Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession
Brittney Griner, a Phoenix Mercury player and two-time Olympic gold medalist, pleaded guilty to drug possession. Griner was arrested in mid-February at Sheremetyevo International Airport after she was found to be carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, a substance that is illegal in Russia, in her luggage. Griner acknowledged in court that she did indeed have the canisters.
Griner's lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, asked the court to acquit Griner, noting that she had no past criminal record and played a role in "the development of Russian basketball". Blagovolina argued that if the court did deem it necessary to punish her, Griner should receive the most lenient punishment possible. Griner's lawyers have pursued strategies to bolster her contention that she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her luggage due to hasty packing. They have presented character witnesses from the Yekaterinburg team and written testimony from a doctor who said he prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment.
Prosecutor Nikolai Vlasenko insisted that Griner packed the cannabis oil deliberately and asked the court to hand her a fine of 1 million rubles (about $16,700) in addition to a prison sentence. Russian prosecutors initially requested a 9 1/2-year sentence for Griner, who maintains that she 'never meant to break any law'.
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Griner's defence argued she had no criminal intent
Brittney Griner was arrested in mid-February at Sheremetyevo International Airport after she was found to be carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, a substance that is illegal in Russia. Griner's defence argued that she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her luggage due to hasty packing. Griner's lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, asked the court to acquit Griner, noting that she had no past criminal record and hailing her role in "the development of Russian basketball". Blagovolina argued that if the court did deem it necessary to punish her, then Griner should receive the most lenient punishment possible.
To bolster Griner's contention that she had no criminal intent, her lawyers presented character witnesses from the Yekaterinburg team and written testimony from a doctor who said he had prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment. Griner herself has said that she 'never meant to break any law'.
Prosecutors have argued that Griner packed the cannabis oil deliberately and have requested a 9 1/2-year sentence for Griner, as well as a fine of 1 million rubles (about $16,700). Whether Griner intended to break the law or not, some have argued that this is completely irrelevant. The principle of ignorance of the law has never been a legitimate defence, and Russia is well within its rights to enforce its own laws.
Griner has pleaded guilty to the charges and now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years.
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Griner's doctor said he prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment
Brittney Griner, a Phoenix Mercury player and two-time Olympic gold medalist, was arrested in mid-February at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Russia. She was found to be carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, a substance that is illegal in Russia. Griner's doctor said he prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment. Griner's lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, asked the court to acquit Griner, noting that she had no past criminal record and played a significant role in the development of Russian basketball. Griner herself has said that she never meant to break any law, and her lawyers have pursued strategies to bolster this contention. They have argued that the canisters ended up in her luggage due to hasty packing and have presented character witnesses and written testimony from a doctor to support this claim.
Drug possession is illegal in Russia, and Griner was caught carrying illegal drugs. Whether she intended to break the law or not is irrelevant, as ignorance of the law has never been a legitimate defence. The fact that cannabis is legal in the US does not change this. US laws do not apply in other countries, and individuals are expected to follow the laws of the country they are in.
Prosecutors in Russia have requested a 9 1/2-year sentence for Griner, and prosecutor Nikolai Vlasenko has insisted that she packed the cannabis oil deliberately. Griner's lawyers have asked for the most lenient punishment, highlighting her lack of criminal intent and positive impact on Russian basketball. Before Griner's trial began in July, the US State Department designated her as "wrongfully detained," moving her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. Some US officials have expressed concern that Russia may be using Griner as leverage in response to Western sanctions imposed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Griner was designated as wrongfully detained by the US State Department
Brittney Griner, a Phoenix Mercury player and two-time Olympic gold medalist, was arrested in mid-February at Sheremetyevo International Airport after she was found to be carrying vaporiser cartridges containing hash oil, a substance that is illegal in Russia. Griner was designated as wrongfully detained by the US State Department. She was caught carrying illegal drugs, and whether she intended to break the law or not is completely irrelevant. The principle of ignorance of the law has never been a legitimate defence. Griner's lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, asked the court to acquit Griner, noting that she had no past criminal record and hailing her role in the development of Russian basketball. If the court does deem it necessary to punish her, Blagovolina said, then Griner should receive the most lenient punishment. Griner herself has said that she 'never meant to break any law'.
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Frequently asked questions
Griner broke a Russian law against drug possession.
Griner was found to be carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, a substance that is illegal in Russia.
Griner has said that she did not intend to break any Russian laws.
Griner pleaded for leniency in her closing statement, saying that she did not conspire or plan to commit the crime.
Griner was sentenced to 9 years in a Russian jail for drug-smuggling.
