WNBA’s Brittney Griner Found Guilty of Drug Smuggling in Russia, Sentenced to 9 Years

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6-foot-nine WNBA star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison after she was found guilty of drug possession and drug smuggling in Russia.

The judge also fined her 1 million rubles.

In response, Griner said, “I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them.”

“I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home,” she added.

Griner traveled to Russia where she was arrested with carrying cannabis oil vape cartridges in her luggage. Griner admitted to carrying the drugs and pled guilty to the charges.

To gain her freedom, Joe Biden is reportedly offering to trade notorious Russian terrorist arms dealer Viktor Bout who is serving a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison.

Bout, who inspired the movie “Lord of War” starring Nicholas Cage, was found guilty of conspiracy to kill Americans, conspiracy to deliver anti-aircraft missiles, and aiding a terrorist organization.

He offered $20 million in weapons to a narco-terrorist group called Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

This “breathtaking arsenal of weapons” included hundreds of surface-to-air missiles, machine guns and sniper rifles. He also offered 10 million rounds of ammunition and five tons of plastic explosives.

Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” was captured in a sting operation carried out by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration informants in Bangkok, Thailand.

President Donald Trump said the swap “doesn’t seem like a very good trade.”

“She knew you don’t go in there loaded up with drugs, and she admitted it,” Trump said.

“I assume she admitted it without too much force because it is what it is, and it certainly doesn’t seem like a very good trade, does it? He’s absolutely one of the worst in the world, and he’s gonna be given his freedom because a potentially spoiled person goes into Russia loaded up with drugs.”

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“She went in there loaded up with drugs into a hostile territory where they’re very vigilant about drugs,” Trump added.

“They don’t like drugs. And she got caught. And now we’re supposed to get her out — and she makes, you know, a lot of money, I guess. We’re supposed to get her out for an absolute killer and one of the biggest arms dealers in the world. Killed many Americans. Killed many people.”

In addition to receiving Griner, the trade would also free 52-year-old retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan who was arrested in 2018 in Russia on espionage charges.

Whelan was found guilty and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years of “hard labor” in a Russian prison.

More on this story via Fox News:

The Russian state-owned news agency TASS originally reported in May that talks are underway to exchange Bout for Griner.

Russian officials see Bout as a “high-value asset” and are likely pushing hard for the exchange, according to former Defense Intelligence Agency officer Rebekah Koffler.

“Moscow wants him back because he possesses critical insights that he can share with the GRU, his former agency. Having been in a U.S. prison and interrogated by U.S. officials, he knows what our intelligence requirements are and other information that is valuable for the Russians,” Koffler, the author of “Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America,” told Fox News Digital.

“It would be a big mistake for the U.S. to give up Viktor Bout, as much as one feels compassion for Ms. Griner and Mr. Whelan.”

The Biden administration confirmed Wednesday that it has made a “substantial proposal” to help free Griner and Whelan.

“The U.S. government continues to work aggressively, pursuing every avenue, to make that happen and as part of those efforts we made a substantial proposal to bring Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News on Wednesday.