Diplomats were working to ensure the release of seven-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner after Russia said it detained the player last month for possession of vape cartridges containing hash oil, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday.
The Russian Customs Service, without naming Griner, said on Saturday that it had detained an athlete in February after the player arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on a flight from New York.
Russian news agency TASS identified the player as Griner, citing a source. Griner's WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury, said: "We are aware of and are closely monitoring the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia."