Jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to having brought hashish oil into Russia on Thursday, informing a judge that she did so “inadvertently” while pleading for mercy.
The step is unlikely to bring her trial in Khimki, Russia, to a close any time soon. Even if a defendant enters a guilty plea, the judge will continue reading the entire case file into the record, which could take weeks or months.
Griner, who was taken into custody at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17, informed the court that she unintentionally packed vape cartridges and did not intend to disobey Russian law.
“I’d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner stated to the judge in English, which the court then interpreted into Russian.
The next court date was set for July 14. Griner, who requested “time to prepare” for her testimony, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of “large-scale” drug transportation.
