Brittney Griner, a WNBA star, was arrested in Russia on drug charges after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage.
In a tweet Saturday, USA Basketball stated that it is monitoring the situation.
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“Brittney has always handled herself with the utmost professionalism during her long tenure with USA Basketball and her safety and wellbeing are our primary concerns,” the tweet read.
Griner was apprehended after the Russian Federal Customs Service identified cartridges containing hashish oil in her belongings at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. The maximum punishment for this offense is 10 years in prison.
Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, stated that she was unable to provide additional details due to the pending legal matter.
Griner is a center for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and has spent the winters in Russia the last 7 years. She last appeared for her Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg on Jan. 29, prior to the league’s 2 week break in February for the FIBA World Cup qualification tournaments.
Griner, 31, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the United States, a WNBA champion with the Mercury, and a Baylor University national champion. She has been named to the All-Star team 7 times.
Source: NBC
