By: EFE Updated 06 Mar 2022, 31: 14 pm EST
The American player Brittney Griner, star of the WNBA, was arrested at a Russian airport accused of having cartridges with hashish oil for vaping in her luggage, The New York Times reported this Saturday.
The newspaper, citing sources from the customs service and the Russian agency TASS, assured that Griner was detained in February but could not specify the day.
In a video released by the Russian customs service shows a woman with the appearance of Griner going through a security check and, later, airport workers are seen checking her luggage.
Brittney Griner, star of the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, was taken into custody at an airport near Moscow.
She was arrested at an airport near Moscow by Russian customs agents for possession of cannabis. pic.twitter.com/Sqc7i1wO5w
— Telemundo News (@TelemundoNews) March 6, 2022
The New York Times assured that the Russian authorities have opened a case for “large-scale drug transportation”, which could carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Both the WNBA and the union of players in the league today showed their support for Griner and their confidence that she can return to the US as soon as possible
Griner, from 23 years, is with Diana Taurasi the main reference of the Phoenix Mercury, with which he won the WNBA in 2021.
The Mercury played the WNBA final last year but ended up falling to the Chicago Sky.
Considered one of the most dominant centers in the league, Griner has been chosen seven times for a WNBA All-Star and also has two Olympic gold medals with the US team.
Like other US players, Griner took advantage of the months when there is no competition in the WNBA to play in Russia, where his salary at UMMC Ekaterinburg (over a million dollars per season) is more than four times higher than the maximum that can be received by agreement in the WNBA (228.094 dollars as cap for this course).