US' Women's National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, waits for the verdict inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022.
WASHINGTON – A Russian court on Thursday found Brittney Griner guilty of drug charges and sentenced her to nine years in prison, as the U.S. government scrambles to secure the WNBA star's release.
The court also fined Griner 1 million rubles ($16,301).
The 31-year-old Griner, who plays professional basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason, was arrested in February at a Russian airport on accusations that she was smuggling vape cartridges with cannabis oil.
Under Russian law, the charge carried a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. During closing arguments, Russian prosecutors asked the court to sentence her to 9½ years in prison and issue the 1 million ruble fine.
Griner asked the court for leniency earlier Thursday.
"I never meant to hurt anybody," Griner said following closing arguments, according to NBC News. "I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population. I never meant to break any laws here."
Her lawyers have previously said Griner only uses cannabis medically and has never used it while in Russia.
Last month, Griner pleaded guilty to the charges but said she had unintentionally packed the cannabis canisters in her suitcase because she was in a hurry.
The court's decision comes one week after the Biden administration confirmed it made an offer to the Russian government for the release of Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. In a statement Thursday, President Joe Biden called the prison sentence "unacceptable" and called for Griner's immediate release.
"It's unacceptable and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates," Biden wrote in a statement.
"My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible," the president added.
Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that the U.S. "put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago" for Griner and Whelan's release. The top U.S. diplomat also said he would discuss the offer with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in what would be the first known conversation between the two since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine.
"This is delicate work," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters during a White House press briefing. "We've made a proposal, and we urge the Russians to move positively on that proposal so we can get these two individuals home."
"The details of it, I think are best left between us and our Russian counterparts," Kirby said.