KUALA LUMPUR – US rapper Nicki Minaj was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possessing soft drugs before being released with a fine, Dutch media reported yesterday.
The singer, who was scheduled to perform a show in Britain later in the day, posted images on social media showing her being questioned by officials.
Police confirmed to AFP that they had detained a 41-year-old American woman but declined to confirm directly that it was Minaj, as per their usual policy.
“We never confirm the identity of a person in custody, but I can confirm we have arrested a 41-year-old woman suspected of trying to export soft drugs to another country,” Robert Kapel, a military police spokesman, told AFP.
Kapel later said the suspect had been released after the payment of a “reasonable” fine.
“There’s no reason for us to keep her in custody any longer. We have all the information for our file. Case closed,” he told AFP.
The rapper posted on X that authorities told her they had found cannabis in her luggage, which she said belonged to her security personnel.
“Keep in mind they took my bags without consent. My security has already advised them that those pre-rolls belong to him.
“Now they said I have to go five minutes away to make a statement about my security to the police precinct,” she said.
“It’s to try to make me late so that they can write negative stories,” she wrote on X, referring to marijuana cigarettes.
A common misconception outside the Netherlands is that cannabis is legal in the country, home to world-famous coffee shops (which actually sell the substance) that are a huge draw for smokers.
The consumption of small quantities of cannabis is technically illegal, but police have chosen not to enforce the law as part of a “tolerance” policy in place since the 1970s.
However, transporting the drugs to another country is illegal.
Minaj was due to perform in Manchester on her Pink Friday 2 World Tour, and the hashtag #FREENICKI was trending on X.
It was not immediately clear whether the performance would go ahead.
“They’ve been trying to stop me from coming to every show.
“This is what it looks like when people are paid big money to try to sabotage a tour after all else fails,” Minaj said on Instagram.
Her brash personality and penchant for controversy have also made Minaj a tabloid regular, in particular during a feud at a Fashion Week 2018 afterparty that saw rap rival Cardi B throw a shoe and allegedly attempt to fight Minaj.
The rapper also hit the headlines during the Covid-19 pandemic after skipping New York’s star-studded Met Gala because of its requirement that attendees be vaccinated.
She said she would get the jab only once she had “done enough research.”
She said a friend of a cousin in Trinidad had experienced swollen testicles after getting the vaccine – claims that sparked a formal rebuttal from the Caribbean nation’s health minister. – May 26, 2024