In Russia, the Khimki City Court of the Moscow Oblast sentenced American basketball player Brittney Greiner to nine years in prison on charges of drug possession and smuggling.
This is reported by Interfax.
The prosecutorʼs office asked for 9.5 years for her, the court gave 9. The defense team will appeal the verdict.
"We are very disappointed with the verdict. As legal professionals, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone, regardless of nationality. The court completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and the most important thing was the confession," Greinerʼs defense attorneys said.
US President Joe Biden has already reacted to the verdict — he called it "unacceptable" and promised to use "all possible means" to bring the athlete home.
- On February 17, 2022, the 31-year-old athlete flew from New York to Moscow. She was detained at the Sheremetyevo airport due to the reaction of a service dog. Electronic cigarettes with hashish oil (a concentrated hemp product), which is banned in Russia, were found in the belongings.