WNBA star Brittney Griner could face a dire sentence of up to five years in a Russian labor camp if convicted in Russia on drug charges, according to a report.
The 31-year-old Griner, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was arrested in a Moscow airport in February and charged with having illegal cannabis in vaping cartridges in her luggage.
A Fox News analyst recently noted that Griner could face between five and ten years for drug smuggling if convicted. And some of that time could be spent in a labor camp, expert Peter Maggs told Fox News.
Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“You’re talking about five years, not jail time, but a labor camp,” Magg said. “One thing I find a little worrisome is this extension of her preliminary holding from two months to three months, because you have to go to a higher authority to get it lengthened.”
Last week, the Russian government announced that Griner would be detained for two more months before she is sent before a court to face charges.
Maggs also noted that it isn’t beyond Russia to have planted the vape cartridges on Griner for political purposes as an attack on the USA. “We don’t know what really happened,” he said.
Meanwhile, Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that the U.S. is monitoring the situation and is ready to “provide every possible assistance” to seven-time All-Star WNBA center.
“There’s only so much I can say given the privacy considerations at this point,” Blinken said. “Whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world, we of course stand ready to provide every possible assistance, and that includes in Russia.”
The Phoenix Mercury released a statement about Griner’s arrest on March 5:
Griner was in Russia to play with the Russian women’s basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg.
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