What Do We Know About WNBA Star Brittney Griner’s Detention in Russia

Photo Lorie Shaull • CC BY-SA 4.0

According to a report in the New York Times on Saturday, WNBA player Brittney Griner was detained in Russia after officials found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow.

“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,” Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner’s agent with Wasserman Group, told ESPN via statement Saturday. “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.”

Reported by CNN The Russian Federal Customs Service said an American at Sheremetyevo Airport was carrying hash oil. Russia’s Interfax News Agency quoted a statement from the Customs Service, which did not identify the traveler by name:

“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 statement said.

“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.”

Here’s the video that was released of a 6-foot-9 Griner going through airport security.

Griner’s wife wrote in a new Instagram post,

“My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by without hearing from you. I miss your voice. I miss your presence. You’re our person! There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family.”

“There’s only so much I can say given the privacy considerations at this point,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.  “The United States will ‘provide every possible assistance’ to citizens who are being held in foreign countries as the war in Ukraine continues.”

The customs agency said the arrest happened in February, but the exact date was not given. The New York Times was first to report Griner’s arrest. Her whereabouts since her arrest also remain uncertain.

If found guilty of the charges, Griner could face up to 10 years in a Russian prison on drug smuggling charges.

Journalist Tamryn Spruill, started the online petition Saturday which already has over 5000 signatures. Secure Brittney Griner’s Swift and Safe Return to the U.S.” petition on Change.org.