WNBA star Brittney Griner detained in Russia on drug charges after hashish oil allegedly found in her luggage

Russian officials have detained WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner after hashish oil was allegedly found in her luggage at an airport in Moscow last month.

The Russian Federal Customs Service said Saturday that a female basketball player from the U.S. was arrested in February at the Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia’s busiest airport, after arriving from New York.

Russian officials said that cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were found in the player’s carry-on luggage.

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner is seen in the 2021 WNBA Finals. (Rick Scuteri/)

A video released by the Russian agency reportedly shows a person who appeared to be Griner going through airport security. It also shows a package being removed from the traveler’s bag.

Griner, the seven-time WNBA All-Star center for the Phoenix Mercury, wasn’t officially identified as the arrested player by Russian officials, but her agent and the WNBA players union confirmed it’s her.

“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,” agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas said.

Griner, 31, has played nine seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. She also won two gold Olympic medals with the United States, in 2016 and 2021.

In a statement shared on social media Saturday, the WNBA players union said the group was “aware of the situation in Russia concerning one of our members, Brittney Griner.”

It added, “Our utmost concern is BG’s safety and well-being. On behalf of The 144, we send our love and support. We will continue to closely monitor and look forward to her return to the U.S.”

Colas added that while she couldn’t comment on the “specifics” of Griner’s case, she can confirm that “as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

Many WNBA players join overseas teams during the league’s offseason. More than a dozen — league MVP Jonquel Jones —were on Russian or Ukrainian teams this year. The WNBA said Saturday that all the other players in those leagues are back in the United States.

Griner was part of gold-medal-winning U.S. teams at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, and USA basketball released a statement supporting her.

“USA Basketball is aware of and closely monitoring the legal situation facing Brittney Griner in Russia,” it read. “Brittney has always handled herself with the utmost professionalism during her long tenure with USA Basketball and her safety and well-being are our primary concerns.”

With News Wire Services