This morning news broke that WNBA star, Brittney Griner, was arrested in Russia on charges of drug smuggling.
According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, they had detained an American basketball player, which turned out to be Griner, after finding vape cartridges and hashish oil in her luggage.
“As a U.S. citizen was passing through the green channel at Sheremetyevo Airport upon arriving from New York, a working dog from the Sheremetyevo Customs canine department detected the possible presence of narcotic substances in the accompanying luggage,” said the Russian Federal Customs Service in a statement. “The customs inspection of the hand luggage being carried by the U.S. citizen confirmed the presence of vapes with specifically-smelling liquid, and an expert determined that the liquid was cannabis oil (hash oil), which is a narcotic substance.”
The security footage that captured Griner was from the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow in February, which means that the incident is assumed to have taken place at least a week ago.
Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner’s agent, released a statement regarding her client.
“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 W.N.B.A. and N.B.A.
“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.”
Griner’s team, the Phoenix Mercury, release a statement on Twitter.
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