WNBA star Brittney Griner Faces 10 years in Prison After Being Caught with Cannabis-filled Vape Pen at Russia Airport

Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and seven-time WNBA All-Star, has been detained in Russia since February 2022 after being caught carrying a vape pen filled with hash oil at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. The vape was discovered when a drug-sniffing dog was lured to her bags. Griner, 31, was flying into Russia to play for a Russian basketball team during the WNBA summer. The basketball star is facing up to 10 years in prison.

Griner has been photographed for the first time since she was detained in Russia, though it’s unclear when the photo was taken. 

There has been no official confirmation of her arrest date. Her last recent communication occurred on February 5, when she shared a photo of herself and her Phoenix Mercury teammates on Instagram.

Griner’s representative, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, says her team is doing the work to get her back home to the United States. Griner’s wife extends her gratitude to people who prayed for her and Brittney on these weakest times of their lives.

Cherelle Griner posted a heartfelt message.

“We love you babe! People say “stay busy.” Yet, there’s not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by. 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.”

Many in the U.S. have been calling for Griner’s release. A Change.org petition was started to have the Houston native returned home safely.  As of March 9th, it has nearly 42,000 signatures.