NYT: Russia Says It Has American Basketball Player in Custody (Brittney Griner)

[ok_cpu]

The Russian Federal Customs Service said that its officials had detained an American basketball player after finding vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow.

The Customs Service said in a statement that the player had won two Olympic gold medals with the United States, but it did not release the player’s name. The Russian news agency TASS, citing a law enforcement source, identified the player as Brittney Griner, a seven-time W.N.B.A. All-Star center for the Phoenix Mercury. Griner won gold medals with the U.S. women’s national basketball team in 2021 and 2016.

The Customs Service released a video of a traveler at the airport that appeared to be the 31-year-old Griner, wearing a mask and black sweatshirt, going through security. The video showed an individual removing a package from the traveler’s bag.

According to the statement, a criminal case has been opened into the large-scale transportation of drugs, which can carry a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars in Russia. The basketball player was taken into custody while the investigation is ongoing, the officials said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/sports/basketball/russia-brittney-griner.html?smid=url-share

[Wingus Dingus]

1. Didn't the US government say Americans should not be in Russia?

Of course they're going to target you, and search you. I wonder if the hashish oil was hers or planted?

[DURHAM D]

2. I immediately had the same question. Planted? nt

[Pachamama]

5. They told Americans to leave Ukraine

If it is Brittany Griner - she was playing for the Russian Womens Basketball League…

[Wingus Dingus]

7. No, there's been a "Do not travel" advisory to Russia for Americans, but

if she lives there, I guess she has to.

[uponit7771]

8. It's been incredibly hard to leave Russia, there are no flights out so it's train bus car or walk

[Wingus Dingus]

9. I've heard that--maybe she was traveling within Russia, or maybe

she was trying to leave the country? Either way, it's hard to believe she would be so stupid as to violate their drug laws when she knows she's going to get searched...therefore I wonder if the evidence was planted.

[LisaL]

13. She just arrived from US to Russia when arrested.

This happened in February.

[Wingus Dingus]

14. Ah, so we're just finding out about it then.

[LisaL]

17. That's what is sounds like.

NT

[Pachamama]

3. Working for Russians can be hazardous to your health

Not smoking Pot or Hashish….

Yikes…

[EndlessWire]

4. Hostage. n/t

[dalton99a]

6. They want the U.S. government to release one of their spies

Just watch

[CanonRay]

10. It has to be a plant

you'd be insane to put drugs in your luggage knowing every square inch of your bags will be searched.

[BeyondGeography]

12. Or heedless

A not uncommon human trait.

[BlackSkimmer]

21. As an experienced traveler though, she'd know the rules that you never let your bag out of your

sight.

The airlines even ask you if anyone has had access to your luggage.

[Mariana]

22. Yet, lots of people do it. nt.

[BlackSkimmer]

11. Who in hell would think it's a good idea to carry drugs while traveling internationally?

Especially in Russia?

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

15. Seriously bad idea, welcome to 20 years in the gulag

[LisaL]

18. Yes, things don't look good for her.

Russian courts are not going to be inclined to be nice to US citizens.

[BlackSkimmer]

20. I remember a friend from years ago going to the UK. She wanted to take weed.

I remember telling her she was nuts. She thought she had it all figured out because she was going to stash it at the bottom of a jar of noxzema. I told her customs had seen all that and more, but she thought it was foolproof.

She never did get caught, but this was back in the late 70s. She was a white, pretty girl, so I’m sure that didn’t hurt any.

Later she told me she was so scared the whole time that she’d never do it again lol. That movie about the kid who got caught in Turkey was out at the same time. I remember being terrified for her. Not worth it.

[maxsolomon]

19. Please consider that she is a political hostage.

She's a bargaining chip now.

Many WNBA stars play in Russia's leagues - it pays well.

[eppur_se_muova]

16. Hope she can get a second test for confirmation. These tests can give false positives.

One test being used in Latin America, with US encouragement, was supposed to test for cocaine. In fact, it tested for ether which was used in some cocaine processing (not necessarily always) and gave a false positive with the contents of some disposable wipes. If they test everything in your luggage, they can usually get at least one positive test, drugs or no.