MOSCOW: Russia said Saturday it had arrested an American woman who is a two-time Olympic basketball champion on narcotics charges as tensions between Moscow and the West soar over Russia's military actions in Ukraine.
A statement by the Russian Federal Customs Service said that an inspection of hand luggage carried by a US citizen who arrived on a flight from New York in February "confirmed the presence of 'vapes' (and) a liquid with a specific smell".
An expert had found that the liquid was the narcotic cannabis oil (hash oil), the statement said.
The statement did not provide the identity of the jailed woman but said that she was "a member of the US National Basketball Association, a two-time Olympic basketball champion in the US team".
The detained woman faces a potential jail term of 5 to 10 years, the customs service said.
Many women basketballers who play in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) spend the American off-season playing in European leagues, including the Russian and Ukrainian leagues.
Russia says it has arrested US Olympic basketball champion for narcotics
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Russia says it has arrested US Olympic basketball champion for narcotics
- An expert had found that the liquid was the narcotic cannabis oil
- The statement did not provide the identity of the jailed woman
Rajkovic excels as Al-Ittihad cruise to victory against Al-Shabab
- Al-Ittihad secure fifth Saudi Pro League win of the season with a 2-0 victory
JEDDAH: It has not been the start to the season that Al-Ittihad fans had anticipated. Nevertheless, on their return to Saudi Pro League action after a 36-day hiatus, the defending champions delivered a performance that offered renewed confidence ahead of a demanding run of seven matches in the space of 30 days.
The opening exchanges proved far from straightforward for The Tigers.
Attempting to play out from the back, they were punished within the first two minutes as Abdullah Matuq pounced on a mistake to find himself one-on-one with Predrag Rajkovic, only for the Serbian goalkeeper to produce the first of several crucial saves. Just 60 seconds later, Rajkovic was called into action again, this time denying a header from a corner.
Momentum soon shifted. Roger Fernandes began to cause problems down the left wing, his quick footwork getting the better of Al-Shabab’s defence before he delivered a low cross into the box. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, aided by Karim Benzema’s intelligent screening of Saad Balobaid, met it to open the scoring in the 16th minute.
Al-Ittihad came close to doubling their advantage in the 28th minute. Mohannad Al-Shangeeti struck the far post with a powerful effort, before his follow-up attempt narrowly missed the target, drifting wide of Marcelo Grohe’s goal.
Grohe was later called upon to keep Al-Shabab in the contest, producing a fine save in the 58th minute to deny Benzema after the Frenchman was released by a perfectly weighted pass from Steven Bergwijn.
Al-Ittihad continued to dominate possession, though Imanol Alguacil’s side managed to limit Fernandes’ influence by committing extra defensive cover on the left flank.
That adjustment failed to account for Al-Shangeeti’s runs from deep, as he surged down the right to find Bergwijn, who finished first time to seal the contest for the hosts in the 85th minute.
Late substitute Abdulaziz Al-Bishi thought he had added a third in the closing stages, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The win lifts Al-Ittihad into sixth place on 17 points, while Al-Shabab remain just two points above the relegation zone, extending their winless run to eight matches since their Matchday 2 victory over Al-Hazem.
