American basketball star Brittney Griner is sentenced to nine years in prison in a Russian court today – for having smuggled cannabis oil into the country.
The 31-year-old basketball player was arrested on February 17 at the Moscow airport after e-cigarettes with less than a gram of cannabis oil were found in her luggage.
Griner, who has been detained in Russia since his arrest, pleaded guilty early in the trial (which has been ongoing since early July). She said, however, that there was never any intention to break Russian law.
Last week, CNN reported that US President Joe Biden proposed a prisoner exchange in an attempt to bring the basketball star home. The Biden administration then proposed to release Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and another American prisoner, Paul Whelan. According to CNN, Russia should have responded with a counteroffer that was not considered reasonable.
See more about the verdict in the player above