American basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty in a Moscow court to charges of drug smuggling. However, the American emphasized that she did not intentionally break the law.
In early March (more than two weeks after the incident, it turned out), Russian authorities broke the news that Griner had been detained at Sheremetyevo Airport with a narcotic substance. Thus began the ordeal of the American woman, who could be sentenced to 10 years in prison.
“I would like to plead guilty, Your Honor. But there was no intent in what I did. I did not want to break the law,” Griner said, speaking in English in court.
We are talking about the so-called “vapes”, which are refills for electronic cigarettes.
In the athlete’s luggage, there were those with a specific smell, and the expert at the airport found that the liquid was the narcotic oil of cannabis. It concerns a minimal amount – under a gram.
The next court hearing in the case is scheduled for July 14.
A number of authoritative world media, including ESPN, claim that Russia’s ultimate plan is to use Britney as a bargaining chip against the gangster Victor Booth, better known as the Seller of Death, who is serving a heavy sentence in the States.
–
–
–
–
Who really is the Russian international criminal?
The news of the possible exchange first appeared in TASS on May 13 and was later confirmed by Forbes.
Booth is a former translator in the USSR army, after which he started his own business with the help of the authorities, and the airline he managed transported billions in weapons in the 1990s. He speaks 7 languages, has an IQ of 170 and his life was recreated in the 2005 Hollywood film Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage.
Booth was captured in Bangkok during a 2010 Drug Enforcement Agency raid. After much preparation of the services, the Death Dealer is lured to a hotel to make a big deal, then the handcuffs snap on his hands.
After being apprehended by the DEA in Bangkok, Victor Booth was convicted and is currently serving a 25-year sentence.
Among the charges he was found guilty of were conspiring to kill US citizens and high-ranking officials, supplying anti-aircraft missiles and providing aid to a terrorist organization. For these crimes, Booth is incarcerated in Marion, Illinois.
In general, the U.S. government opposes the practice of making such exchanges because it poses a danger to anyone who travels, works, and lives abroad. This is what happened to Griner, who for 0.7 grams of cannabis oil can be exchanged for a person who sold weapons for billions.
–
–
“Yes, there is a serious problem with releasing an arms dealer for Griner, who in the United States would have only been fined for her crime,” says former judge Shira Schindelin, who handed down the 25-year sentence to Booth. “To me, it’s better to traded Booth for Griner and Paul Whelan. Booth did a lot of jail time anyway. At two to one, there would be enough moral weight to the deal and there would be no malcontents.”
Whelan is a former Marine detained in Russia for espionage.
–
