FRUSTRATING

Russia Extends WNBA Star Brittney Griner’s Detention Through July

Griner has been held in Russia since February despite efforts to negotiate her safe return.

A court in Russia ruled that WNBA player Brittney Griner, who has been detained in the country since February, must remain in custody in Russia through at least July 2, according to Russian media outlet TASS. The 18-day extension from the Khimki Court of the Moscow Region comes at “the request of the investigation,” a representative told TASS, according to ABC News. Griner, 31, was arrested Feb. 17 at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki, Russia, after officials allegedly found vapes containing hashish oil, or weed oil, in her suitcase. The Phoenix Mercury center, who was in Russia to play basketball for a Russian Premier League team in the WNBA off-season, will have been detained in Russia for four months on Friday. Griner’s charge, which was “large-scale transportation of drugs,” carries a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars, according to The New York Times. Although the U.S. has designated Griner as “wrongfully detained” since May 3, attempts to negotiate her safe return to America have been unsuccessful. Her Phoenix Mercury teammates and coaches met with State Department officials and U.S. lawmakers in Washington, D.C., on Monday to discuss her case, the Associated Press reports.