[Stire] WNBA star Brittney Griner stands trial in Russia on drug charge

[REFLX]

The trial against WNBA player Brittney Griner started Friday in a court near Moscow, where the basketball star faces up to 10 years in prison on drug smuggling charges, in a case that has underscored the frayed relations between the United States and Russia.

Griner, a Houston native and a center for the Phoenix Mercury, has been detained since February, when Russian authorities allege she was found in a Moscow airport in possession of cannabis-derived vape cartridges.

She has made no public statements since her detention and it's unclear what she makes of the accusations against her or what she says were the circumstances surrounding her arrest.

Photos showed Griner entering the courthouse in Khimki, outside Moscow, early Friday. She appeared to look straight ahead as she walked down a stairwell, wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt.

Alexander Boikov, one of Griner's attorneys, told reporters the court questioned two prosecution witnesses. A Sheremetyevo Airport customs employee who searched Griner before she was detained was questioned behind closed doors about the circumstances of Griner's detention.

The next hearing in Griner’s case has been scheduled for July 7 at 2:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET).

“She’s worried, naturally,” Maria Blagovolina, another of Griner’s attorneys, said when asked about her client’s mood.

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