Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison after drug smuggling conviction


Brittney Griner has been sentenced to almost a decade in Russian prison after being convicted of drug smuggling with criminal intent.
A Russian judge on Thursday handed down the sentence for the WNBA star, who has been in custody for over five months after being arrested with cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage.
During her trial, Griner's legal team said she did not intentionally smuggle drugs into the country. "I had no intention on breaking any Russian law," she said. "I was in a rush packing and the cartridges accidentally ended up in my bags." Her attorneys also showed evidence she was prescribed medical cannabis due to chronic pain.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Griner's conviction was expected, as she had already pleaded guilty. Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence her to nine-and-a-half years in prison.
The United States, which has classified Griner as wrongfully detained, is attempting to negotiate a prisoner swap with Russia. According to CNN, the Biden administration has proposed swapping convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout with both Griner and Paul Whelan, another American being held in Russia. The Russian government has reportedly requested that Vadim Krasikov, a convicted murderer, be added to the swap.
President Biden on Friday called Griner's sentence "unacceptable" and "one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney." He also called on Russia to "release her immediately" and vowed to "continue to work tirelessly" to bring her home.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Sodium batteries could make electric flight viable
Under the Radar Low-cost fuel cell has higher energy density and produces chemical by-product that could absorb CO2 from the atmosphere
-
Flying into danger
Feature America's air traffic control system is in crisis. Can it be fixed?
-
Pocket change: The demise of the penny
Feature The penny is being phased out as the Treasury plans to halt production by 2026
-
Frustrated Trump warns 'crazy' Putin
Feature Trump lashes out online after Putin launches his largest missile and drone attack on Ukraine
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
'Russia's position is fragile'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs