The detention of American basketball player Britney Grenier has been extended by two months in Russia. BBC wrote this on the basis of the Russian state news agency TASS. The sports star was arrested at an airport in Moscow last month because cannabis oil was found in her handbag.
The 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury player will remain in custody until at least mid-May and faces up to ten years in prison if convicted in Russia.
The US State Department has stated that it is “doing everything it can” to support Grenier in prison. Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton calls on Twitter to release her.
A former Pentagon official told Yahoo! Sport fears Russia will use Greiner as a hostage.
Grenier won the gold medal with the US basketball team at the Tokyo Games last summer. In 2016, Greiner already took the Olympic title with the United States in Rio. Griner has been playing for a Russian club outside the regular basketball season since 2015.
