WNBA star Brittney Griner could soon be free. Sources say that the Biden administration is discussing the possible prisoner trade between Russia and the United States.
Forbes reports that the Biden administration has offered to swap convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner. According to the outlet’s non-government source, talks are still in the early stages.
Griner was detained in Moscow back on February 17 after customs police allegedly found vape cartridges and hash oil in her bags. Since her arrest, she has been behind bars in a Russian prison.
Bout was sentenced to 25-years in federal prison after being convicted of conspiring to sell millions of dollars of weapons to the Colombian terror group FARC in 2011. Nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” he was the inspiration behind Nicholas Cage’s character in the film Lord of War.
Forbes reached out to Bout’s attorney, who declined to comment. Griner’s agent also declined to comment. The outlet reached out to a spokesperson for the State Department and Roger Carsten, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs handling Griner’s release, and they also declined to comment.
