Russian trial of American basketball star Brittney Griner opens
(CNN) — The two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner arrived at a court near Moscow on Friday where her trial is expected to start, after officials claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage in February, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Griner, 31, a Phoenix Mercury player who plays in Russia during the WNBA’s offseason, was arrested February 17 at a Moscow airport.
Russian authorities accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Griner is currently being kept at a pre-trial detention center north of Moscow. Her detention has been extended for six months pending the trial’s outcome, accordin...
