Nicki Minaj Detained in Amsterdam After Allegedly ‘Carrying Drugs’
Nicki Minaj was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, according to the BBC, which is citing local media reports.
The Dutch police told NBC News, “arrested a 41-year-old American woman at Schiphol Airport because of possession of soft drugs,” but the woman wasn’t named.
The BBC, citing the PA agency, which received a statement from Dutch police, reported that the woman remained under arrest Saturday evening.
Minaj documented her encounters with officials on Saturday social media, including an Instagram Live captured by a number of outlets and fans, on which an official is heard saying they want to take Minaj into custody for “carrying drugs,” which she denies.
“I’m not going in there. I need a lawyer present,” Minaj says from behind the camera.
She and the official later say she’s “under arrest” as she wonders what for, but the official just asks her to stop filming.
She continues to protest before she steps into what looks like a police vehicle.
Minaj is currently in Europe on her Pink Friday 2 World Tour. She was scheduled to perform in Manchester on Saturday evening and is booked for other dates across the UK after she performed in Amsterdam on Friday night.
Writing on X (formerly known as Twitter), Minaj indicated this all unfolded while her flight was delayed in Amsterdam as authorities told her they “found weed” and “another group of ppl have to come here to weigh the pre-rolls.”
“Keep in mind they took my bags without consent,” she added. “My security has already advised them those pre-rolls belong to him. Oh yea & the pilot wants me to take my ig post down.”
In her final X post about the incident, she wrote, “Now they said I have to go 5 mins away to make a statement about my security to the police precinct.”
She later shared another video on Instagram, which she posted to the grid on her account, in which she’s talking with another official who says he needs to search her luggage.
“Isn’t that what you planned on doing from the get-go? Why didn’t you search it before it went on the plane?” Minaj asks.
The official says authorities “did a random quick check” but now want to do a full search. When Minaj asks why, the official says, “First of all because you filmed him … He doesn’t believe that you don’t have more with you than you say.”
She replies, “No, he asked me do I have any more in those purses and I said, ‘No,’ and I asked, ‘Where are my bags?’ They took my bags and put it on the plane before I could know what bags are on the plane.”
Minaj also argued on X and Instagram that people were trying to “sabotage” her tour.
In the caption, Minaj wrote, “They’ve been trying to stop me from coming to every show. They took my bags before I could see them. Put it on the plane. Now saying they’re waiting on customs. This is what it looks like when ppl are paid big money to try to sabotage a tour after all else failed. Everything they’ve done is illegal.”
It’s unclear if Minaj was indeed taken into custody. Reps for the rapper have not yet responded to The Hollywood Reporter’s request for comment.
Less than five grams of marijuana are legal to possess in Amsterdam, according to the Netherlands government website
