A WNBA star has been detained in Moscow after the Russian Federal Customs Service allegedly found vape cartridges containing cannabis in her luggage sometime last month. She could face up to 10 years in prison.
On Saturday, Russian Customs released video of Brittney Griner, an all-star forward for the Phoenix Mercury basketball team, being stopped at Sheremetyevo International Airport. The 50-second edited video shows the 31-year-old athlete, who also won gold for the U.S. at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, briefly standing in front of an airport official with a drug-sniffing dog before starting to walk away. The footage then cuts to Griner placing her luggage on the conveyor belt of an airport scanner after which a Russian official pulls a package out of what appears to be her luggage, analyzes it, and places it in a secure bag.
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Griner is currently under investigation, and under Russian law, smuggling a “significant amount” of narcotics into or out of the country is punishable by a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years. It’s not clear how long she’s been detained in Russia, only that the arrest took place sometime in February.
“An athlete who flew to Moscow from New York passed through the ‘green corridor,’” a statement released by Russian Customs said, referring to the security measures used by travelers who don’t have items that need to be flagged to customs, such as medications, weapons, or even pets. “After scanning the bag, the customs officers noticed vapes. The experts found that the cartridges for them contain liquid with hash oil.”
“With regard to the American, a measure of restraint in the form of detention was chosen,” the statement concludes. No additional information about her detention has been released.
Russian customs didn’t initially identify the player as Griner, but the New York Times, which first reported news of her arrest, said that Russian news agency Tass cited a law enforcement source who confirmed it was her.
In an emotional plea to followers on Instagram, Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, also indicated that there are ongoing efforts to free Griner.
“I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life,” she wrote. “I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely.”
In a statement to the New York Times, Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas also said that Griner’s situation is currently being worked on.
“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,” Colas said. “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.”
And on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. is already working to provide whatever help it can to get the athlete home but provided little detail.
“There’s only so much I can say given the privacy considerations at this point,” he said. “We have an embassy team that’s working on the cases of other Americans who are detained in Russia. We’re doing everything we can to see to it that their rights are upheld and respected.”
The news of Griner’s detention comes at a tense time, just two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine. The act of war prompted quick sanctions from several nations, including the U.S., as well as private companies severing ties and business with Russia altogether. Speculation is growing that Russia could be trying to use Griner as a bargaining chip. In the past, Russia has also been known to be particularly harsh about drugs and drug use by foreigners and citizens alike.
The U.S. State Department announced Saturday that it will advise all Americans in Russia to leave immediately. The advisory cited “the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials,” as the reason for the urgent message.
Fans are also rallying around Griner in hopes of getting her released from Russian custody. A petition on Change.org started by journalist Tamryn Spruill has already surpassed its initial 1000 signature goal as of Monday morning.
“Griner is a beloved global citizen who has used her platform since her entry into the WNBA to help others,” the petition reads. It asks supporters to call U.S. members of Congress as well as the U.S. ambassador to Russia to demand her safe return.
Griner has been playing for the Russian team basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg in the WNBA offseason for at least seven years. Playing in other countries like Russia where women players are paid more competitively, is a common practice among even top WNBA players as a way to earn extra money for their talents. Griner, for example, was making $1 million per season overseas, four times her American salary, according to the Associated Press. More than a dozen WNBA players had been playing in either Russia or Ukraine at the time when the conflict began between the two countries. The WNBA said Saturday that all of the players, except Griner, made it back into the U.S. safely over the last two weeks.
While some NBA players play internationally as well, the disparity between what women basketball players and what their female counterparts make has been a major point of controversy for years now. Some high-profile male players, like Draymond Green and Kyrie Irving, have publicly advocated for increasing the salaries of WNBA players.
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