BREAKING: Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Drug Possession During Moscow Trial
The trial of Brittney Griner trial started last week, some five months after her arrest, and amid rising calls for Washington to do more to secure her release. The athlete was stopped in February at the Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow after it was claimed that vape canisters containing cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage.
Should she be found guilty of large-scale drug transportation, she may spend up to 10 years in jail. Nearly five months after her imprisonment, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury star’s trial got underway last week amid rising calls for Washington to take more steps to ensure her release.
One day after President Joe Biden told Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, that he is trying to secure Griner’s freedom as quickly as possible, the White House said that Griner appeared in court and entered a plea. Following Brittney’s personal appeal to the president in a handwritten letter that the White House received on Monday, Biden spoke with Cherelle.
ALSO READ: Charges against WNBA Brittney Griner Orchestrated by Russia : Explained
Brittney Griner pleads guilty
Brittney Griner admitted to possessing drugs at her trial in Moscow on Thursday, saying she didn’t want to break the law. The WNBA standout Griner pled guilty to drug possession charges, according to Griner’s representatives, who verified this to The Associated Press.
BREAKING: Russian media: U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug possession, smuggling charges, says she did not intend to break Russian law. https://t.co/MVk3clYFHG pic.twitter.com/0jyci7ovif
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 7, 2022
Griner’s interpreter reportedly told the court she pled guilty to the accusations but said she had done it accidentally because she had packed hastily, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. The high-profile case’s subsequent hearing is set for July 14.
“I was in a rush packing. And the cartridges accidentally ended up in my bag.”
Since Washington assigned its special envoy in charge of hostages to the matter, her situation has grown to be one of several sticking points in ties between the United States and Russia. She arrived in Russia in February to play club basketball during the off-season in the US, which is a frequent route taken by American players looking for extra money.
More WNBA news:
