Brittney Griner Sentenced to 9 Years in Russian Prison for Drug Smuggling

According to RIA Novosti, on August 4, the Khimki Court in the Moscow region found American basketball player Brittney Griner, who played for the Russian club UMMC, guilty of drug smuggling. As punishment, she was sentenced to 9 years in a general regime penal colony and fined 1 million rubles.

Griner was detained on February 17 at Sheremetyevo Airport, where vape cartridges with a “distinctive odor” were found in her possession. Later, an expert examination determined that the cartridges contained hashish oil, with a total volume of 0.7 grams.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Griner used these vapes for medical purposes as a substitute for traditional painkillers, prescribed by a doctor in the United States.

Griner fully admitted her guilt, although she stated that the crime was unintentional: “It was an honest mistake that I made while packing in a hurry and experiencing post-COVID stress.” The court considered her partial admission of guilt and her athletic achievements as mitigating circumstances.

It has been reported that her defense plans to appeal the court’s decision. Experts agree that Griner could be released through a prisoner exchange for Viktor Bout, who is serving a sentence in the United States for arms trafficking.