Moscow intends to use American basketball sensation, Brittney Griner, to secure the release of a notorious arms dealer, Viktor Bout.
Griner was arrested in February this year by Russian officials at Sheremetyevo international airport in Moscow for being in possession of cannabis oil.
She pleaded guilty to the charges on July 8 but denied deliberately breaking the law. Griner told the court that the cartridges accidently ended up in her traveler's bag when she was packing.
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Bout, commonly known as the “Merchant of Death”, is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US. The 55-year-old was apprehended in 2012 by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents who posed as Colombian rebels.
The DEA agents lured Bout into their trap by striking a huge arms deal with him. The former Soviet soldier fell into their trap and agreed to meet them in a Bangkok hotel, where he was arrested and transferred to the US.
A leading American news outlet reports that Preet Bharara, a popular US attorney based in New York, once described Bout as the most notorious arms trafficker in the world back then.
“International arms trafficking enemy number one for many years, arming some of the most violent conflicts around the globe,” Bharara is quoted by ABC News.
Most American high profile sports personalities, including two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner, Meghan Raphinoe, have called for the immediate release of the Phoenix Mercury player.
Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, has also requested the Joe Biden-led administration to do everything necessary to ensure her partner is released.
The 31-year-old player recently wrote a letter to President Biden requesting him to do all he can to bring her and other American detainees back home.
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White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, has assured Americans that Griner’s guilty plea will not impact their negotiations with Russia.
“We will continue to make this a top priority, in making sure that we bring her home safely. That is the commitment we have made to her, to her family and also to other US nationals, as we are trying to bring them home,” stated Pierre.
She added that Washington will make sure it brings home all US nationals who are wrongfully being held abroad.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkor, warned Washington officials not to make too much noise in public regarding the high profile case.
“It does not just distract from the case, but creates interference in the core sense of the word. Silence is needed here,” Mail Online reports.
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