Brittney Griner released by Russia after prisoner swap for Viktor Bout


Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has been released from a Russian penal colony and is in United States custody after a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, President Biden confirmed Thursday morning.

CBS News was first to report the news. 

According to the report, the exchange has been in the works for the past two weeks and Biden gave the final go-ahead for the swap. Biden spoke with Griner on the phone and Griner’s wife, Cherelle, was at the White House. 

The swap took place in the United Arab Emirates.

Griner, an eight-time WNBA all-star center and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February. Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage, but testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent.



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *