A Russian court has sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to 9 years in prison for drug trafficking

 A Russian court has sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to 9 years in prison for drug trafficking

MOSCOW - A Russian court has found Brittney Griner guilty of drug trafficking and drug possession. The much-anticipated verdict came after a month-long trial and almost six months after the basketball star was arrested at a Moscow region airport with cannabis vape cartridges in his luggage.

The judge sentenced Griner to nine years in prison. His charges lasted up to 10 years, and Russian prosecutors had asked for a sentence of nine years and six months in a penal colony.

The outcome of the trial was not unusual given that Russia's criminal courts have a 99 percent conviction rate. But it seems Griner's fate is now being decided in the political arena.

The Biden administration, under public pressure to secure his release, tried to negotiate with Russia to release him and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan. Russia has said any potential deal - including an alleged prisoner swap that would result in the US releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout - would have to wait until after the court's verdict.

In a statement released shortly after the verdict, President Biden called Griner's sentencing "rather a reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongly imprisoning Brittney."

"This is unacceptable and I call on Russia to release him immediately so he can be with his wife, relatives, friends and teammates," he added. "My administration will continue to work tirelessly, examining every possible means to get Brittney and Paul Whelan safely home as quickly as possible."

Foreign Minister Antony Blinken reiterated that commitment in a statement of his own, saying the court's decision "highlights our serious concerns about the Russian judicial system and the Russian government's detentions. "

"Russia, and any country that practices illegal detention, poses a threat to the security of everyone traveling, working and living abroad," Blinken continued. "The United States rejects this practice everywhere."

Griner's agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas wrote on Twitter that he appreciates the US effort to free the player.

"Today's sentencing of Brittney Griner was harsh under Russian law and proves what we have known all along, that Brittney is being used as a political pawn," Colas wrote.