Russian court convicts Brittney Griner
A Russian court on Thursday found WNBA star Brittney Griner guilty of charges that she smuggled drugs into the country. The court announced its verdict hours after prosecutors said they would seek a 9 1/2-year prison sentence for Griner.
Griner — a Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist who is a lesbian and married to her wife, Cherelle Griner — spoke in court earlier on Thursday. “I had no intent on breaking any Russian law,” said Brittney Griner.
Officials at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February detained Brittney Griner after customs inspectors allegedly found hashish oil in her luggage.
The State Department subsequently determined that Russia “wrongfully detained” her. Brittney Griner last month pleaded guilty to the drug smuggling charges.
