High Profile Prisoner Swap Occurs with Biden Swapping Russian Arms Dealer Viktor Bout for Athlete Britney Griner

American WNBA Player Brittney Griner was originally arrested in February when Russian authorities found her in possession of hashish oil.Photo by(Lorie Shaull / Creative Commons)

Brittney Griner, the American WNBA star who has been in Russian detention since February has been released today after the Biden administration negotiated an inmate exchange deal with Russia.

In February, Griner was detained at the Sheremetyevo Airport outside of Moscow, Russia after Russian authorities accused her of carrying cannabis vape cartridges containing hashish oil. The ordeal sparked a large amount of debate on popular social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter on whether or not Griner deserves United States government involvement due to her refusal to stand during the National Anthem prior to her competitions in the WNBA.

When news broke of the inmate swap with Russia, the internet exploded with comparisions between Griner and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, appropriately named "The Merchant of Death"

Although the swap was seemingly strongly favorable towards Russia, the Biden administration seems to be content with the results of the trade deal. "I'm proud that today we have made one more family whole," Biden said from The White House this morning. The White House is already receiving backlash on Twitter due to the fact that the president signed off on a deal that would abandon Paul Whelan, an American corporate security executive who is still jailed in Russia.

The Kremlin has been waiting for an opportunity to get Bout back since he has been imprisoned and this high-profile prison swap has given the chance for "The Merchant of Death" to finally make it back home to Russia. Griner has yet to release an official statement.

- Daily Scoop News Network