The official authorities confirmed the arrest of a 41-year-old American woman for possession of "soft drugs" at Schiphol Airport on Saturday.
Dutch authorities stopped rapper Nicki Minaj over the weekend on suspicion of carrying drugs, as per police reports. In footage shared on the hip-hop artist’s Instagram Live, later circulated widely on various social media platforms, Minaj can be seen engaging in conversation with police at the Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam.
In the video, the rapper was heard making reference to the “pre-rolls they found,” before being directed out of her vehicle towards a police van. When questioned about being instructed to enter the van, an official informed that she’s “under arrest,” citing “carrying drugs” as the cause. Minaj swiftly denies the accusation, asserting, “I’m not carrying drugs.”
She constantly asked for a lawyer to be present, while the authorities repeatedly asked her to “stop filming.”
When CNN contacted Amsterdam authorities using Minaj’s legal name, Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee confirmed the arrest of a 41-year-old American woman for possession of “soft drugs” at Schiphol Airport. Without revealing the name, they stated that the individual is presently in custody and undergoing interrogation at the local police station.
Hours later, the Dutch authorities confirmed, “We have just released a 41-year-old American woman who we arrested this afternoon at Schiphol on suspicion of exporting soft drugs. Following consultation with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect received a monetary fine and is now permitted to continue her journey.”
This happened hours before the rapper was scheduled to perform in Manchester, England on Saturday as part of her ‘Pink Friday 2’ tour. Due to this incident, the show has been postponed, and the organizers later issued a statement.
“Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible,” Co-op Live Arena said in a statement, further adding, “We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused.” The rescheduled date for the concert has yet to be announced, however, tickets purchased for the original date will remain valid for the rescheduled event.
Following the emergence of videos and posts depicting the ‘Anaconda’ rapper’s altercation with Amsterdam Police on social media, her fans were left in a state of worry and uncertainty, eagerly awaiting further updates. The hashtag #FREENICKI rapidly gained momentum across social media platforms.