The two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment with a fine of $16.5K in a Russian court for her illegal possession of cannabis at Moscow‘s Sheremetyevo airport.
This American star visited Russia to play in the Russian Premier League during the WNBA off season, and her possession of cannabis was solely for medicinal purposes, which is legal in Arizona but illegal in Russia.
Though the American diplomats tried to negotiate, they failed, and the Russians detained Griner as a high-profile hostage. Recently, U.S. President Joe Biden approved a prisoner exchange deal with Russia.
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According to the deal, the American administration will swap Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner. Like many Americans, the former UFC fighter BJ Penn is not happy with the exchange deal. The first American gold medalist at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship wrote:
“How much money did Russia pay Brittney Griner to bring a weed pen to Russia and wait to get traded so they could get the ‘Lord of War’ back in Russia to arm militants to fight Ukraine? 25 mil? 50 mil? Is it all theater?”
Amidst Russia-Ukraine war, trading the arms dealer could cause massive destruction in Ukrainian territory. So many Americans are condemning the government for the immature decision.
However, Brittney Griner was safely released on 8th December and currently she is preparing for her return to the WNBA.
