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On Monday, June 27, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Brittney Griner appeared in the Russian courtroom, where the judge extended her detention throughout the trial. According to NPR, the trial is officially scheduled for Friday, July 1.
Griner was wearing a gray t-shirt and glasses when she was escorted into the courthouse with handcuffs. While the media was not allowed access to the courtroom proceedings regarding the WNBA player, the snaps outside the courthouse were the only coverage the reporters received.
The 31-year-old was detained because her suitcase allegedly included vape cartridges with hashish oil. She was discovered to be in possession of cannabis extract, which is a prohibited drug in Russia.
According to Fox News, Griner's detention was extended for six months until she faced the trial's completion. The 31-year-old Houston native could face up to 10 years in Russian prison if the basketball player is found guilty.
Reasons as to why Brittney Griner was in Russia before her arrest
Griner has been in Russian custody for over four months by now. As per reports, Brittney Griner was arrested at Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow around February. Her luggage reportedly contained vape cartridges that had oil containing cannabis extract. She was found to have hash oil in her possession, which is an illegal substance in Russia. At the time, Griner was charged with smuggling drugs, which, per Russian laws, could lead to a sentence of around three to ten years in prison.
Brittney Griner flew to Russia to play for the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team of the country, which a third-party corporation reportedly backs. The Yekaterinburg-based team competed in the Russian Premier League and the FIBA Europe's EuroLeague Women until February of this year. The team was disbarred from competing in the EuroLeague after the country's war on Ukraine. The conflict had begun a week after Griner's arrest in Russia.
As per Advocate.com, Griner received much larger pay for UMMC Ekaterinburg than her WNBA salary. For her first year in the privately-backed Russian basketball team, Griner reportedly made just shy of $1 million. Meanwhile, the WNBA compensation was around $250,000 at max.
Potential prisoner swap to bring Brittney Griner home
According to the Associated Press, Russian news outlets have speculated about a prisoner swap for Brittney Griner. The speculations stated how the basketball player could be swapped for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer currently convicted in the United States with a 25-year prison sentence. Bout, dubbed "The Merchant of Death," is condemned as he allegedly conspired to kill US Citizens and was also accused of helping a terrorist organization.
Griner can also be swapped with Paul Whelan, a former Marine serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for alleged espionage charges. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed these speculations on June 26 to CNN. He said:
"As a general proposition ... I have got no higher priority than making sure that Americans who are being illegally detained in one way or another around the world come home. But 'I can't comment in any detail on what we're doing, except to say this is an absolute priority.'"
Previously in 2015, Brittney Griner had also been in legal controversy due to a domestic violence case with her former wife, Glory Johnson. Both were arrested at the time, and Griner was ordered to attend 26 weeks of counseling for domestic violence.
