WNBA Star Brittney Griner get 9 Years in Prison – Did She Deserve It?
Unless you live under a rock, you have by now heard that Britney Griner, a WNBA star playing in Russia was arrested last February for carrying 0.702 grams of hashish oil, a product that contains cannabis, in two vape cartridges. The Russian authorities determined that it was enough to meet their “distribution” guidelines, and she has been in jail waiting for trial ever since.
Now the trial is over. The verdict? 9 years in prison, just short of the 10 years maximum.
For those of you who have never traveled internationally, bringing illegal drugs with you is the stupidest possible thing you can do. When you enter another country, especially one like Russia, YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS, you are at the mercy of a capricious, corrupt government, they can literally do whatever they want. And there need be no logic, no justice, no reason whatsoever.
Was she actually counting on Russian customs officials to be incompetent? Was she thinking they would be “nice” and let her get by with it? Was she thinking that her “celebrity” status would get her through? Sorry, these guys have no sense of humor.
How stupid is this? Did you know that 30 countries around the world can give you the DEATH PENALTY for trafficking drugs?
Capital punishment for drug trafficking
She made some other mistakes too. She claimed in court that it was for “medicinal purposes.” You might get away with that in a U.S. court, but nobody really believes that bulls&^t. Especially a Russian judge who (rightfully, in this case) believes you are trying to get away with something.
Second, her friends and family in the U.S. have managed to bring this to the attention of the Biden administration. It’s a national story. Judges (and not just Russian judges) hate it when there is political pressure on a criminal case. Plus Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned against “megaphone diplomacy” — “Any exchange of information should be discreet.” They were not discreet. And now a pissed-off Russian judge who was ready to throw the book anyway was asked by his government to throw the book.
They threw the book.
And to complicate things, the Biden administration has indicated that a trade might be a viable option. One of the prisoners proposed was Vadim Krasikov, a former official with links to the domestic spy agency who was convicted of murder in 2021 in Germany. Another was Vladislav Klyushin, a Kremlin insider extradited to the US in December on insider-trading charges.
So the Biden administration has opened the door to Russia taking hostages whenever one of theirs is captured and they want them back? This is the equivalent to negotiating and even paying off terrorists. You never, ever put yourself in that position. But since the U.S. appears to have proposed it, the Russians will gladly play along.
Do I believe Griner deserves to spend the rest of her professional basketball life in a Russian jail cell for less than a gram of vape oil? No, I don’t.
But we are not talking about what she deserves in the United States. She is not only the victim of her own stupidity, she is the victim of a totalitarian government, and the victim of a series of missteps by an inept Biden administration.
Britney Griner is an adult, she did this with eyes wide open. That was very arrogant of her. She is being made an example of. Now it may take a long time to get her out. She may even have to serve her whole sentence.
It is kind of like being guilty of texting while driving, but accidentally driving off a 500 foot cliff.
Brittney Griner Found Guilty, Sentenced To 9 Years For Drug P
She should have known better
She didn’t think that STUPID move through but I’m sure she was FULLY aware that to bring anything illegal would trigger something like this, but chose not to leave that junk behind in the US. Celebrity “status” will only get you so far…Sorry, but she needs to do her time THEN return to the US. Russia, along with a couple of other countries like Japan takes the illegal drug issue VERY SERIOUSLY, unlike the US.
So you’re all for caging people for victimless crimes. Great. You should become a politician or “law” enforcement officer if you think like that…Oh wait, maybe you ARE one of those psycho professions.
Victimless crime? So when a drug user convince their 14 year old cousin to try an addictive drug there is no victim?
Cannabis is not addictive. You have this worry with alcohol?
BUSTED
Cannabis is addictive.
I stand corrected, you are right, cannibis is addictive, about at a 10% level, more so fir younger folks. Sorry, been a lifelong off and on partaker and never saw it. Everyone I know can take it or leave it and rarely feel more than a twinge of regret. No gateway either from my experience but the experts deduce if one is on hard drugs, and once smoked some pot, it’s gateway… or was it the beer?
Wow, the world has changed. Guess it’s more true with today’s extra strength medical marijuana. It’s really potent. But in a world of addictions, it’s pretty weak tea.
UNBUSTED and I apologize.
“been a lifelong off and on partaker and never saw it.”
Imagine that…
Grow up and lose the baggage.
I’ll put my resume against your self-righteous poc resume any day of the week.
You can’t even accept an apology with honor, much less humility. Nice. Sweet.
Prosecution of a “victimless crime” is still legal if the act violated a law. Speeding on a public road will often result in a ticket, even if no accident occurred, and there were no victims of the crime. The same applies to parking tickets. Police would seriously be hamstrung in the performance of their duties if they had to identify a valid victim before they ticketed or arrested anyone. The proper way to handle such is to remove them as crimes, not to just ignore valid criminal activity.
Can’t cure Stupidity, especially WOKE Stupidity!
I agree with Kendall, the celebrity people think they can do any and everything they wish and not have to pay the consequences. They use the “I’m so and so, I can do as I wish”. It’s about time some of these people be brought down to earth. “If you do the crime, then you have to do the time”. It does not matter who you are you have to obey the laws either here in the USA or any and all foreign countries. Just because the USA does not enforce the laws because you are this person or that person, does not mean the other countries will overlook the laws being broken just to satisfy the person who breaks the laws. Maybe the USA need to crack down on these people who think they are above any and all laws set forth here in the USA for all citizens. If, the laws are for all citizens, then all should be judged the same.
A very stupid woman.
this stupid fagot should have known better ,going to anther country and thinking she can do whatever she wants !!
She’s a person. The jury is out on your status John, but it looks bleak. I can’t believe Joe allows this filthy hate speak. He’s just “Jonesing” for the bucks.
It’s truly sad she made this boneheaded blunder. Where was she planning to smoke it in Russia?
But it would be nice to bring all incarcerated Americans home, hopefully in a bundle offer.
Oh let her pay the price for her crime . Nobody else gets that measure of relief.
Except Trump’s friends who all got pardoned… That didn’t bother you at all
And they want to trade a weapons dealer for a dope addict! Now how smart is that, plus shes hates America.
Dope addict? Sorry, you can’t get addicted to cannabinoids. That’s just ignorance and fear talking.
Really? I was under the impression addiction was possible with any activity that triggers a dopamine response. At least that’s where the author of Dopamine Nation landed. She even had, as one of her case studies, someone who was addicted to pot.
Cannabis is addictive.
Now this tells the whole world all they have to do is arrest some over paid fag. and Biden will give what ever to get them back. This should not even be considered. The Dems. has got to get their votes from some where. Send them some more of these hate America over paid jerks.
Even Marines are gay. About 5% of them. Another 10% are considered classic cases. I don’t think sexual orientation is important to the story whatsoever unless you are prejudiced and have to feel better about yourself by putting someone else down. When will we just grow up and leave the stuff behind.
Perhaps she is paid too much, certainly she was dumb to do this, a personally I do not want to see any American incarcerated in Russia for any reason. But to pick on her for sexual orientation is just uncalled for.
She should have been given 99 years
Screw griner she got what she deserves America should let her Rot in Prison in Russia she’s a Traitor to America and Americans.
If athletes expressing themselves via activism for social justice or resell justice get your goats, I guess you don’t watch many sports and must spend much time playing with yourself.
She is one of the greatest female athletes ever in America and has brought us much honor in the Olympics and other sports. She did not have to go for the Olympics, she did not do it for money, she did it for America. So give it a rest.
Can call her stupid, you can call her a pampered athlete with big contracts, but really, just lay off the sexual orientation and activism hate mongering crap. Unless you parse that out for all Americans that decide to protest including Trumpblicants. I mean anyone who attends a Trump rally can be considered an activist.
Isn’t she the one that said she wouldn’t come out for the national anthem? She doesn’t like america, well I guess she will have to love her new country for quite a while. If she gets back maybe she will change her tune,but probably not.Good luck anyway. I know their a lot of countries around the world, that will give u the death penalty,for being bring drugs into their country, she’s lucky.
Just like Kyle, she did that for the national anthem to promote activism for racial injustice. She didn’t make a scene, she just didn’t come out for the anthem. And she did it for a reason, and she explained her reasons.
When we decide people don’t belong in America because of what they protest about, as long as the protest are peaceful, and a lot of people are going to be in the same boat you put her. Yourself included probably.
She violated their laws and who are we or our government to say she does not deserve her time in jail. So many of our politicians think our country is not the best need to leave and go to some other country. Griner does not like America and disrespects it so now she knows what a great country America is. We have to respect the laws of all countries and if not, we will end up like them.
“When you enter another country, especially one like Russia, YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS, you are at the mercy of a capricious, corrupt government, they can literally do whatever they want. And there need be no logic, no justice, no reason whatsoever.”
And the USA is sooooo much better! Why they will send out a team of assassins to shoot your kid in the back, your wife in the head and burn your church down with 17 small children in it just because you have a weapon or allegedly have a weapon they have deemed that only THEY can have. Well unless you jump through hoops and pay them an extortion fee. Let’s be honest. ALL people that run governments EVERYWHERE are psychopathic control freaks and they love screwing with the normal population and beating fines and cage time out of them for innocuous acts. Or worse yet the two incidents I mentioned above here in the USA at Ruby Ridge and Waco Texas. ALL “laws” are enforced out of the barrel of a gun. Why don’t pay the RENT on your home and the “taxing” “authorities” will send the sheriff to force you at gun point to leave or they will kill you and steal your supposedly owned home. Oh that’s right…in communist countries they call it rent. The so called non communist USA calls it “property taxes”. WTF is the difference? The end results are the exact same.
REALITY is that NO CRIME is committed, EVER unless there is a victim. In this case the Russians are the criminals and Brittney is the victim. PERIOD!
Your views make no difference whatsoever. The Russians are not necessarily the bad guys in this case, they are enforcing their own laws. Griner is more a victim of her own stupidity and the stupidity of the arrogant assholes trying to get her out.
Let’s get our people back from Afghanistan left there by the Biden administration! The hell with Griner, let her rot. She hates America anyway!
Senator Nunn claims he got 2,000 out but many are not Americans. Many staying are dual citizens living in Afghanistan for years. Not sure how few are left now, if any.
Why not want both?
Better yet, let’s bring all Americans home who are held in other countries. Especially victimless crimes or unfair justice. They may he stupid, they often shoulda known better, but they are Americans.
If your going to another country then leave your drug habit at home. I would have thought no one was that stupid but I guess I was wrong. She is anti american so Biden will try and send a weapons dealer for a drug addict.
I agree ! She has been there enough times to know the law. If she isn’t doing more time than anyone else in her position, she needs to be held just as responsible as anyone else. If they make that swap; I really hope the people that put it together can forgive themselves because the families of the victims of that gunrunning terrorist mist likely won’t after he exacts his revenge for being out in prison, wherever they might be…
That’s what I said about the Trump pardons of all his little buddies and Jared’s Dad! It’s good to be King, fuck the law. It’s America. But we should follow the law in Russia. Heartless hypocrites.
She offered an apology the other day. There was a long list of those that she apologized to. But she did NOT apologize to the nation that she expects to save her from her own stupidity. Give me, give me, give me, you owe me, you owe me because I am far more special than any of you…..that is her attitude. She needs a good attitude adjustment. She has NO appreciation for the county she comes from. She only shows disrespect for the USA.
She showed her ignorance the other day by complaining about not having her rights being read to her. She forgot that she was on foreign soil. What makes her think that she is so special? An ignoramus in a foreign country!
The USA is trying to arrange a prisoner swap for her and another US citizen with a very high value Russian prisoner. That’s like trading $100 dollar bill for $1.35 plus $88.95. She is hardly worth the effort. Biden is just using her for his own political gain. Biden is just a whore willing to make a trade for $1.35.
Better idea yet …. send her wife to Russia where they can live happily ever after under communist rule.
She is looking at the bright side, for the next 9 years she be offended by having to listen to the Star Spangled Banner.
Russia has its laws and who are we (US) to say what the laws of Russia should be. She got exactly what was coming to her and now she knows America is a great country. She did not respect America and now she will learn.
Did not matter to Russia that she was a demoncRAT like it does in America where we have a two-tier unjust criminal system since the demoncRATs control the government.