US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on July 7, 2022. - Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying in MOSCOW (AP) - US basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession and smuggling charges in a Moscow court on Thursday, according to Russian media sources.The reports quoted Griner as pleading guilty to the charges at Thursday's court hearing.
They said that speaking through an interpreter, Griner said she had acted unintentionally because she was packing in haste.The Phoenix Mercury player was detained in February at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage.
She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.Griner's trial began last week amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure her freedom nearly five months after her arrest.Before Thursday's hearing, Russian police escorted Griner, handcuffed and clad in a bright red T-shirt and sports trousers, into the courtroom past a crowd of journalists.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned Thursday that "attempts by the American side to make noise in public ...
don't help the practical settlement of issues."MORE: Biden tells Brittney Griner's wife he's working to get her homeThe White House said President Joe Biden called Griner's wife on Wednesday to assure her that he's doing all he can to obtain the athlete's release, as soon as possible.