Griner, who plays center for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested for cannabis possession in February.
The criminal trial for WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since a cannabis-possession arrest in February, will begin in the country on Friday, a court said Monday. Griner appeared at a private hearing Monday and was told she’d remain in Russian custody during the trial. The court added six months to her detention on Monday. Authorities arrested Griner at a Moscow airport after hashish oil was allegedly discovered inside her luggage. The arrest occurred days before Russia invaded Ukraine, exacerbating the strained relationship between the U.S. and Russia. The 6-foot-9 Griner, who plays center for the Phoenix Mercury, was pictured in handcuffs on her way to Monday’s hearing in Khimki, near Moscow. A conviction for large-scale drug transportation could result in a 10-year prison sentence for Griner. Brittney Griner is taken to a courtroom for a hearing in Khimki on Monday.
