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
Fight week begins in Riyadh for Ring V: Night of the Samurai
- In Saturday’s main event at the Mohammed Abdu Arena, undisputed super bantamweight world champion Inoue defends his titles against Mexican challenger Picasso in a 12-round showdown
RIYADH: Fight week activities for Ring V: Night of the Samurai officially began on Tuesday at Boulevard City, launching the countdown to one of Riyadh Season 2025’s headline boxing events.
At the opening grand arrivals event at the Global Theater, several international fighters walked the red carpet, including Reito Tsutsumi, Leobardo Sanchez, Taiga Imanaga, Eridson Garcia, Willibaldo Garcia, Kenshiro Teraji, Junto Nakatani and Sebastian Hernandez, before the arrival of main-event fighters Naoya Inoue and Alan Picasso.
In Saturday’s main event at the Mohammed Abdu Arena, undisputed super bantamweight world champion Inoue defends his titles against Mexican challenger Picasso in a 12-round showdown.
The fight card features five bouts in total, including an IBF super flyweight world title contest between Mexico’s Garcia and Japan’s Teraji, as well as Nakatani’s debut at super bantamweight against unbeaten Mexican Hernandez.
Fight week continues on Wednesday with open workouts for fans and media, while the event will be broadcast globally on DAZN, with exclusive coverage in Japan on Lemino.
