New York Times: Brittney Griner, two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA all-star, arrested in Russia on drug charges

By Wayne Sterling and Emma Tucker, CNN

Updated 2046 GMT (0446 HKT) March 5, 2022

Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury during a game against the Chicago Sky October 10, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona.

(CNN)Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time Women's National Basketball Association All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury basketball team, has been arrested in Russia after customs officials detected cannabis oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow, The New York Times reported.

The Russian news agency TASS cited a law enforcement source identifying the American woman who was arrested on drug charges as 31-year-old Griner, upon arriving from New York, the report said. The Russian Federal Customs Service did not identify the woman as Griner in a statement quoted in a report from Russia's Interfax News Agency, which reads: "'As a US citizen was passing through the green channel at Sheremetyevo Airport upon arriving from New York, a working dog from the Sheremetyevo Customs canine department detected the possible presence of narcotic substances in the accompanying luggage.'" "'The customs inspection of the hand luggage being carried by the US citizen confirmed the presence of vapes with specifically smelling liquid, and an expert determined that the liquid was cannabis oil (hash oil), which is a narcotic substance,'" the customs service said in the statement. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second week, President Vladimir Putin on Saturday issued a series of threats against Ukraine and Western powers, saying the sanctions introduced on his country are «equivalent of a declaration of war.» Read MoreInterfax, citing the customs service, said the US citizen was detained and arrested and