A Russian judiciary this Thursday found an American basketball player guilty of drug possession and smuggling Britney Griner sentenced her to nine years in prison.
The 31-year-old Griner today admitted to a “mistake” of bringing cannabis oil into Russian territory, but asked for mercy at a hearing held at the Khimki City Court in the Moscow Region.
Judge Anna Sotnikova ruled that the player was guilty of “possession and illegal introduction of drugs through customs”.
A judge later declared the athlete guilty, in line with the prosecutor’s office’s request for Griner, who was arrested at a Moscow airport last February with cannabis oil in his suitcase.
“I made a mistake without malice and I hope it doesn’t end my life,” he said.
Prosecutors thought “Britney Griner’s guilt was fully proven,” but the defense demanded her acquittal.
Russian law states that a height of 2.06 meters is He plays for the Russian team UMMC in Yekaterinburg.
The U.S. government considers the arrest of a basketball player who crossed the border for cannabis oil “wrong” and, like many NBA and WNBA stars, is demanding her immediate release.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken last week suggested to his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov that Griner, who has been sentenced to 16 years for espionage, be exchanged for Paul Whelan. He is in an American prison.
Recently, the White House rejected Russian “dissenters” who wanted to include a second Russian prisoner, Chechen Vadim Kraskov, in the exchange, as reported by CNN.
