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U.S. Olympian and WNBA champion Britney Griner faces up to five years in a Russian labor camp after she was arrested in the country last month, according to an expert.
Griner, the 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury basketball star, has not been seen since she was arrested in Russia last month after Russian officials allegedly found e-cigarette cartridges in her luggage and accused her of trying to smuggle drugs into the country.
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Russian law expert Peter Maggs of the University of Illinois College of Law predicted that her pending court case could result in a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years, which could also include time spent in a labor camp, or outright dismissal and removal from the country. the country.
“You are talking about five years, not imprisonment, but a labor camp,” he said. “One thing that I find a little unsettling is the extension of her provisional hold from two months to three months because you have to go to a higher authority to extend it.”
Britney Greener #15 of Team USA reacts during the first half of the Women’s Basketball Final between Team USA and Japan on Day 16 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at the Saitama Super Arena on August 8, 2021 in Saitama, Japan. (Kevin K. Cox/Getty Images)
“It is illegal to bring all kinds of drugs into the country. [Russia]including cannabis oil,” Maggs said.
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The law professor also suggested that Griner may be completely innocent of the charges against her, since the Russian authorities are known to plant drugs on people to arrest them under false pretenses “if the regime wants to get them into trouble.”
Pictured is Britney Griner. (Russian state television)
“We don’t know what really happened,” he added.
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The WNBA released a statement calling the international arrest “extremely difficult” but added that it is working closely with the US government to bring Griner back safe and sound.
FILE – Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) looks to pass as Chicago Sky center Candice Parker defends in the first half of Game 1 of the WNBA Basketball Tournament Finals Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso, file)
“This continues to be a difficult situation that is extremely difficult for Britney, her family and anyone who hopes for a speedy resolution,” the statement said, according to Reuters. “Our number one priority remains her safe return.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.