Russia announced on Saturday that WNBA player Brittney Griner has been arrested for possession of cannabis vape cartridges, an offense that could subject the All-Star athlete to a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Griner’s arrest comes in the midst of a war between Russia and Ukraine, which began with an invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
The Russian Customs Service said on Saturday that a women’s basketball player from the United States had been detained after the cannabis vape cartridges were discovered in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow, although Griner was not identified by name, and the date of the arrest was not specified. The customs service also released a video that appears to depict Griner making her way through an airport security checkpoint.
The Russian news agency TASS then reported that the arrested player was Griner, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. Although the date of Griner’s arrest was not announced, media outlets reported that she has been in custody since February. Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner’s agent, appeared to confirm reports of the arrest in a statement on Saturday.
“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams and the WNBA and NBA,” Kagawa Colas said. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”
WNBA Star Player
Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, played on the Mercury’s league championship team in 2014 and has