MOSCOW, October 26. /TASS/. The defense for US basketballer Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia on charges of drug smuggling, may file a cassation appeal within a six-month period, her lawyer Alexander Boikov told TASS on Wednesday.

"We have a half-year period to file an appeal," Boikov said. "It usually takes three months before an appeal is heard," he said.

Boikov also said that Griner was currently waiting for all of her case materials to be translated into English in order to study the Russian court’s verdict in detail.

On Tuesday, the Moscow Regional Court upheld a lower court’s ruling to sentence Griner to nine years behind bars after she was found guilty of drug smuggling.

US basketball player Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia earlier in the year on charges of attempting to smuggle drugs into the country. She flew to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport from New York, where upon arrival, two cartridges with cannabis oil were found in her luggage during baggage inspection. According to an expert review, the substance was cannabis oil, which qualifies as a narcotic substance.

The 32-year-old professional basketball player is a two-time World Champion and a two-time Olympic Champion. Before her arrest, she played for the Russian professional basketball club Yekaterinburg.

As a member of the United States national women’s team, Griner won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 World Championships, as well as at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement released on October 25 that US President Joe Biden is ready to go to great lengths to bring home all US nationals being held in custody in Russia.