Entered Russia in February… About 10 months imprisonment for possession of cannabis
Britney Greiner/AP News
The Associated Press and CNN reported on the 8th (local time) that Russia had released WNBA star Brittany Greiner, citing US government officials.
According to reports, the Joe Biden administration negotiated with the Russian side to exchange Greiner with Viktor Butt, a Russian arms dealer serving a sentence in the United States. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed through a statement that the boot and Greiner were exchanged, and that the exchange took place at Abu Dhabi Airport in the United Arab Emirates.
“Russia has been negotiating with the United States for the release of Bout for a long time,” the Russian foreign ministry said. .
Greiner, who played for a Russian team during the off-season with the WNBA Phoenix Mercury, was arrested on charges of drug smuggling while entering Russia after vacation in February this year. He claimed he had obtained a legal prescription for medical cannabis to treat a chronic illness, and had no intention of breaking the law, only accidentally inserting it while hurriedly packing, but a Russian court sentenced him to nine years in prison. in August this year.
Paul Wheelon, an American with whom Greiner negotiated an exchange, is still imprisoned in Russia, and exchange negotiations are ongoing. Wheelen, the former head of corporate security for the US Marine Corps, was arrested in 2020 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
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