Brittney Griner freed from prison in exchange for arms dealer

WNBA star Brittney Griner, after being detained for months in Russia for possessing 0.7 grams of cannabis extract, was released Thursday as part of a prisoner exchange for international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested at a Russian airport on February 17 and then pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis cartridges in her luggage, one week before Russia invaded Ukraine. She was ultimately sentenced to 9 years in prison.

«[Ms. Griner] purchased two cartridges for her personal use, containing 0.252 grams and 0.45 grams of cannabis extract, for a total of 0.702 grams,» the Russian news agency TASS reported. Griner was transferred to a Russian penal colony last month.

«She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,» Mr. Biden said at the White House, standing alongside Griner’s wife, Cherelle, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

A few moments ago, I spoke with Brittney Griner.

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She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She's on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT

- President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated in a press release distributed by Russian news agencies that the exchange had taken place in Abu Dhabi and that Viktor Bout had been repatriated by plane.

Viktor Bout is a former lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Army who has been described by the U.S. Department of Justice as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers, having supplied weapons and missiles to Afghanistan, Colombia, the Congo, and to forces opposing the Gaddafi government in Libya in 2011.

The U.S. government’s efforts to bring the basketball player home certainly sparked a reaction, given the thousands of other Americans imprisoned in the United States and elsewhere for reasons related to cannabis.

Maybe we should release some people who are in jail for marijuana here, too? pic.twitter.com/AYo0ZC79lZ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2022