Brittney Griner (detention)
WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained in Russia for carrying cannabis cartridges. She was convicted and sentenced to 9 years but freed in a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout.
On February 17, 2022, WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport when Russian customs agents found cannabis oil cartridges in her luggage. She was playing in the Russian basketball league during the WNBA off-season.
Griner's detention coincided with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and her case became entangled in geopolitics. The U.S. State Department classified her as 'wrongfully detained.'
Griner was convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony. She was held in increasingly harsh conditions.
On December 8, 2022, Griner was released as part of a prisoner exchange—she was traded for Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. The exchange was controversial.
Curated starting points for verifying and researching this case. Direct references are checked; search links are provided as further-reading aids. ColdCaseIndex is an index of public information — see a case correction? Email info@coldcaseindex.com.
Have Information About This Case?
Cold cases are solved when someone comes forward. Even a detail that seems minor can matter. If you have any information about this case, contact law enforcement through one of these channels:
- FBI Tips (tips.fbi.gov) — submit a tip online to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
- The local police department or sheriff's office in Russia, or the state bureau of investigation
Tips can usually be submitted anonymously. To report an error on this page, email info@coldcaseindex.com.