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“WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic champion Brittney Griner faces 5 to 10 years in Russian prison, after she was arrested on drug smuggling charges when she was found with vape cartridges in her carry-on luggage at a Moscow airport, according to Russian news sources. Her team, the Phoenix Mercury, confirmed a “situation in Russia†without mentioning specifics. “We are aware of and are closely monitoring the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia,†the team said in a statement. “We remain in constant contact with her family, her representation, the WNBA and NBA. We love and support Brittney and at this time our main concern is her safety, physical and mental health, and her safe return home.†Russia’s Interfax news agency said a female US basketball player was arrested in February, at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow after arriving on a flight from New York. It did not specify when Griner was arrested, but her Team USA teammate Angel McCoughtry tweeted that she’s been held for three weeks. A drug sniffing dog indicated narcotics in luggage, and when the bag was X-rayed, “so-called ‘vapes’†were discovered “with a specific odor,†according to Interfax, which cited the Russian Federal Customs Service. |