Russia swaps jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for ‘merchant of death’ Viktor Bout

The US and Russia have agreed to exchange US basketball star Brittney Griner with convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who earned the nickname “Merchant of Death”.

CBS reports that US President Joe Biden approved the swap in recent days.

Griner was arrested on drug smuggling charges at a Moscow airport last February after cannabis oil was found in her luggage.

She maintained in her testimony that she packed the oil accidentally. Nonetheless, she was sentenced to nine years in prison last August and was moved to a penal colony in November.

Her family had urged the White House to secure her release, even through a prisoner swap if necessary.

This had been proposed by the Biden administration in summer, having been aware that Moscow wanted Bout’s release.

Bout is a former Soviet military officer who was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US for conspiring to kill Americans, trading weaponry and providing material support to terrorist groups.

He earned the nicknames “Merchant of Death” and “The Sanctions Buster” as he was notorious for working around arms embargoes.

Eventually, Bout was arrested in 2008 on multiple charges relating to arms trafficking. A US sting saw him arrested at a hotel in Bangkok, which angered the Russian government.

The Kremlin always maintained that his arrest was unfounded and biased.