Rapper Nicki Minaj faced a brief arrest and a fine at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on Saturday after authorities allegedly found “soft drugs” in her luggage, as reported by Dutch officials.
Nicki Minaj livestreams her OWN arrest in Amsterdam as she faces accusations of 'carrying drugs' by police during her Pink Friday 2 Tour. pic.twitter.com/dLC7HuHnHV
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) May 25, 2024
The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, the Dutch national police agency, shared on social media that a 41-year-old American woman was detained on suspicion of attempting to export soft drugs. She was later fined and released after discussions with local prosecutors, though the exact amount of the fine was not disclosed.
Although the Dutch police did not officially name Nicki Minaj as the suspect, the rapper shared a video on social media detailing the incident. In the video, she explains that officers allegedly found marijuana in her bags and said it needed to be weighed.
The video features a man in a suit informing Minaj that police needed to search all her luggage. “The police officer told me we have to offload all your luggage and search everything,” he said. He also mentioned that the officer did not believe she had only the amount she claimed.
While cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, it is tolerated for recreational use. In the video, officers are heard telling Minaj she was “under arrest” for “carrying drugs” and instructing her to get into a van to go to the police station.
Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, denied the allegations and repeatedly asked for a lawyer before complying. Before her release, Robert Kapel, a military police spokesman, stated that the interrogation was still ongoing.
Minaj’s representatives and Amsterdam police did not immediately respond to CBS News’ requests for comments.
The rapper was in Amsterdam for a performance at Ziggo Dome on Thursday and was traveling to Manchester, England, for another show scheduled for Saturday night as part of her Pink Friday 2 World Tour. Due to the arrest, the Manchester venue, Co-op Live, announced that the show was postponed.
“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 wrote on social media.
In a series of posts on X, Minaj suggested the arrest was an attempt to “sabotage my tour.” She claimed, “They’re being paid big money to try to sabotage my tour because so many people are mad that it’s this successful and they can’t benefit from it. They got caught stealing money from my travel/jets. Got fired. Got mad.”
This unexpected incident disrupted her tour schedule, leaving fans in Manchester disappointed but hopeful for a rescheduled performance.