WNBA Star Brittney Griner's Russian Imprisonment Extended Until May

The Russian court has reportedly extended Brittney Griner’s detainment until May 19 after she was arrested at an airport near Moscow on suspicion of drug smuggling.

By Tamantha Gunn Mar 17, 2022 4:29 PMTags
Watch: Brittney Griner's Wife Speaks Out After Arrest

WNBA star Brittney Griner's detainment in a Russian prison has been extended for two more months.
 
Russia's state news agency TASS reported on March 17 that the Phoenix Mercury basketball player—who was arrested at an airport near Moscow in February after officials say they found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage—would remain in detention until May 19 after a Russian court "granted the petition of the investigation."

Griner, 31, faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Ekaterina Kalugina, an affiliate of the Public Monitoring Commission, shared details about Griner's current incarceration, telling TASS that the basketball player was sharing a cell with two inmates who "had no previous convictions and are charged with drug-related articles."
 
According to Kalugina, Griner—who plays on the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA off-season—has had no complaints about her detainment so far, except for the fact that, at 6'7, she is too tall for the standard jail bed. 

read
WNBA Star Brittney Griner Arrested in Russia on Drug Charges

Griner has been in custody since her February arrest. The ordeal has been tough on Griner's wife since 2019, Cherelle Griner, who sent love and support to her spouse on Instagram.  

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

"People say 'stay busy.' Yet, there's not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you," she wrote on March 7, alongside a photo of the couple with their loved ones. "My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by."
 
Cherelle added, "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."

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