US says getting Brittney Griner home is 'absolute priority'

WNBA player Brittney Griner was arrested four months ago at a Moscow airport after Russian officials allege she was carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil. Photo by Nick Oza/The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK.

The trial of WNBA player Brittney Griner begins this week in Moscow. She was arrested in February, just days before the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian officials allege she was carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil. Griner’s been charged with smuggling drugs into the country.  If convicted, the American athlete could face up to 10 years in prison. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have declared Griner was wrongfully detained and said bringing her home is an “absolute priority.” 

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