Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty To Drug Charges In Russia, Could Face Up To 10 Years In Prison

After Russian customs officials found vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in basketball star Brittney Griner’s luggage this past February, she was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Unfortunately for her Griner, her detention comes at the most dangerous moment in U.S.-Russia relations since the end of the Cold War, with the U.S. being a leading force in the NATO that is currently supporting Ukraine.

This has led to Griner becoming a valuable asset for the Russians, who are trying to exchange her for arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who is imprisoned in the U.S., in a prisoner swap.

Earlier today, Griner pleaded guilty to bringing hashish oil into Russia, letting the judge know that she had done so inadvertently while asking the court for mercy.

“I’d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,”

Griner now faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, but people close to the happenings believe that the guilty plea was a strategy to help facilitate a prisoner swap.