Russia Holding Gay WNBA Player In Jail After Drug Arrest In Moscow Airport
As many have pointed out, the so-called drugs found on Griner were likely planted, as this is a common tactic of Russian thugs looking to influence geopolitical relations by making high profile arrests. Given what’s going on right now, I don’t think Griner will be released anytime soon, if at all. Via CNN:
Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time Women’s National Basketball Association All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury basketball team, has been arrested in Russia after customs officials detected cannabis oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow, The New York Times reported.
The Russian news agency TASS cited a law enforcement source identifying the American woman who was arrested on drug charges as 31-year-old Griner, upon arriving from New York, the report said.
The Russian Federal Customs Service did not identify the woman as Griner in a statement quoted in a report from Russia’s Interfax News Agency, which reads: “‘As a US 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.'”
“‘The customs inspection of the hand luggage being carried by the US 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 customs service said in the statement.
USA Basketball, the governing body for sport in the United States, said in a statement it is “aware of and closely monitoring the legal situation facing Brittney Griner in Russia. 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 WNBA said Griner has its “full support,” adding its main priority is “her swift and safe return to the United States.”
