US President Joe Biden Still Trying To Bring Home WNBA Basketball Player Brittney Griner, Here's How

WNBA player Brittney Griner, detained by Russia. (Photo: Instagram @brittneyyevettegriner)

JAKARTA - A Russian court has sentenced American women's basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison. He was found guilty of intentionally bringing a vape cartridge containing marijuana into Russia.

However, the United States government has not given up on bringing Griner home. US President Joe Biden is reportedly still trying hard to get the WNBA star out of Russia.

Biden is reportedly willing to trade well-known arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner's release. The White House wants to negotiate a swap of Griner and Paul Whelan, another US citizen held in a Russian prison, with Bout.

Previously, Russia had refused to agree to a deal before Griner's sentence, citing the need for a judicial process. According to the Daily Mail, a deal to swap Griner for Bout is now more likely than ever.

In fact, this process is believed to be completed within a month if there are no delays.

Bout is an arms dealer who was arrested in Thailand in 2008 at the request of US authorities. He was nicknamed the 'Death Merchant' for his wide operating range, wide clientele, and embargo evasion skills.

The 31-year-old Griner was arrested in Moscow in February. He smuggled marijuana into the country. However, he claimed in court that he did not intend to bring drugs to Russia

Bout himself was sentenced to 25 years behind bars in 2012. Throughout the 1990s and early 200s, he reportedly used several air transport companies to smuggle weapons from Eastern Europe to Africa and the Middle East.