it's been nine months since WNBA star Brittany Greiner returned to the United States after being freed in a prisoner swap with convicted Russian arms dealer Victor boot boot was arrested in 2008 by undercover Agents from the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration after they said he pledged to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons that would have been used to shoot down American military aircraft Boone was convicted in 2011 on four felony counts including conspiracy to kill Americans Greiner was detained in Russia last year after authorities found cannabis oil in her backpack out of Moscow Airport the U.S government said she'd been wrongfully detained greiner's final game of the WNBA season is Sunday the same day boot could be elected to a seat in a local Russian legislature food has not spoken with U.S media since his release but in an exclusive interview with ESPN's TJ Quinn The Man known as The Merchant of death talks about Greiner and how he became part of the highest profile prisoner exchange since the Cold War 294 days after her arrest in Russia Brittany Greiner headed home freed in a high-level prisoner exchange with the U.S releasing Russian arms dealer Victor boot nicknamed The Merchant of death The Merchant of death the so-called Merchant of death when do you think you first heard the name Brittany Greiner and then of course I heard when she was arrested were you able to follow her trial of course because look in the United States I guess only lazy would not you know cover a trial every you know talking radio host every news station every TV channel the news broadcast was on this was a big deal I guess you know especially in jail she was convicted for trafficking 0.7 grams of cannabis oil you were convicted for conspiracy to kill Americans trying to sell arms to a terrorist organization and you saw that there was a great deal of outrage from some in this country what do you say to them well think of this that the same outrage was in Russia when I was not for talking are you serious maintains his innocence and says he never intended to sell the weapons but when the undercover agents told him that the weapons would be used against U.S Pilots boot responded we have the same enemy there is no even a question of the term of conspiracy we don't have such even the legal term so this is the same kind of outrage in Russia about my case and about many other cases how did you identify with her and what she might be going through at the time committed something or not publicity is like multiplying factor which can really kills you if you are a lot strong enough to handle you feel that that once she was arrested she she became a pawn fair price because politicians from the bull side trying to play chess this big chessboard which they call geopolitics and I feel really sorry and this wheel of Destiny or go through somebody else's life throwing it because I have my own experience when did you first hear that you might be involved in some sort of deal look uh the first thing I heard is exactly what the CNN or other channels would you know who's the story and then of course your channel ESPN was a very big Cosmos you know daily talking about you know Brittany Greiner and possible exchange with me when did you finally hear it's happening you're going home well when the guards came you know at four o'clock in the morning with the boxes you know knock my grill at myself to say Hey you know wake up and pack up you're leaving then I realized yes I'm going home so when the plane landed in Abu Dhabi what happened from the time it touched down until you were able to leave together and then you know give a short instruction somebody showed up from Russian side so in the high everything is fine I said yes so he identified me and then a couple minutes afterwards The Exchange literally happened do you remember when you first saw Brittany Greiner on the tarmac within me and you know I just checked the hands and I said I wish you good luck and we both went to our you know planes why did you agree to sit down and talk about this well first of all I have really nothing to hide second I do believe we have a common ground to have at least normal relation between our countries but I hope the one of these days will have a perfect and good economic and People to People operation again