Nelly Arrested On Drug Possession Charges

American rapper, singer and actor Nelly has been arrested on charges of drug possession and not having insurance, NBC News reports.

The Dilemma rapper was arrested on Wednesday (7 August) while he was leaving the Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights, close to St. Louis, at approximately 4:45 am.

Variety reports that he was stopped by the Missouri Gaming Commission, seeking his ID verification. He was then arrested for a previous warrant in which the musician failed to obtain car insurance.

Missouri State Highway officers then searched Nelly’s car, where they discovered four alleged ecstasy pills and transported him to the Maryland Heights Police Department. He was released later that morning.

Nelly’s lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, stated that the musician wasn’t charged with drug possession but for “No Proof of Insurance” from a 2018 incident, based on a warrant issued in December 2023, in which Nelly apparently “received no notice.”

Rosenblum claimed that the musician was “targeted by an overzealous, out-of-line officer,” seeking a background check on Nelly after winning a certain amount of money at the Hollywood Casino.

Rosenblum alleged that these background checks had been conducted on Nelly when he previously won “similar or greater amounts”.

Claiming that the police officer “parade[d] him through the casino” and searched Nelly ”without probable cause where he claimed to have found alleged ‘ecstasy,’” Rosenblum said that he’s “100% confident” the case will go “nowhere” and stated that he’d ask for an “inquiry into this officer’s conduct.”

Last January, Nelly toured Australia as part of Juicy Festival, appearing on a line-up alongside Ne-Yo, Ja Rule, Bow Wow, Xzibit, Chingy, Pretty Ricky, Mya, Lloyd, and Twista. After the first show went down in Perth, he hit back at critics who claimed he was high while performing.

Earlier this year, Nelly’s tracks My Place, Flap Your Wings, and Tilt Ya Head Back made it to The Music’s list of R&B classics that turn 20 this year – you can find more classics on the list here.