Sunday, July 19, 2026

American star Brittney Griner jailed for nine years in Russia 

The court in Moscow convicted Ms Griner of smuggling and possessing narcotics.

• August 5, 2022
Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner [Photo credit: CBS Sports]

A Russian court has sentenced U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison on drug charges.

The court on Thursday “found the defendant guilty” of smuggling and possessing “a significant amount of narcotics”, Judge Anna Sotnikova said, adding that she realised Ms Grinder had already spent a long time in detention.

Ms Griner was also fined one million rubles ($16,300).

The court in Moscow convicted Ms Griner of smuggling and possessing narcotics. The prosecution had sought a nine-and-a-half year jail term.

U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the verdict and pushed for Ms Griner’s release.

“My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible,” Mr Biden said in a statement.

Ms Griner was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on February 17 when cartridges containing cannabis oil for vaping were found in her luggage; her arrest became known on March 5. She has been held since then on drug smuggling charges punishable by up to 10 years

The statement said drug-sniffing dogs in the airport’s customs area showed the possible presence of narcotic drugs in the player’s carry-on baggage following her arrival on a flight from New York. A search of the luggage revealed the cartridges, a criminal violation under Russian law with a sentence of five to 10 years.

In July, Ms Griner admitted to bringing cannabis into the country, pleading guilty to the  charges leveled against her. However, she maintained that she had packed in a hurry and did not intend to break the law.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

States

Flooding: Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu place emergency response agencies on alert

He urged residents living in flood-prone areas to heed early warning messages.

Flood

NationWide

Flood Alert: NEMA urges residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate as rains intensify

Mrs Umar advised motorists and pedestrians against driving or walking through floodwaters.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima

NationWide

Shettima departs Abuja for ECOWAS summit in Freetown

The summit will focus on key policy decisions and strategic resolutions.

National Broadcasting Commission

NationWide

NBC unveils new digital broadcasting rules  

Mr Ebuebu said the commission had observed declining ethical standards in broadcasting.

Heading 3

POWA reaffirms commitment to members’ welfare

According to Mrs Disu, the invaluable role of police officers’ wives cannot be overemphasised.

Nigeria Premier Football League logo

States

N2 billion NPFL prize won’t fix Nigerian football, says Gara-Gombe

He lamented that Nigeria had only a few stadiums capable of meeting international standards.