US Rapper Nicki Minaj Released After Arrest in Netherlands

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS — U.S. rapper Nicki Minaj was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possessing soft Ԁrugs but was later released after paying a fine, Dutch media reported on Saturday.

Minaj, who was scheduled to perform in Britain later that day, shared images on social media of her being questioned by officials.

Police confirmed to AFP that they had detained a 41-year-old American woman but did not explicitly identify her as Minaj, adhering to their standard privacy policies.

“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 Ԁrugs to another country,” said Robert Kapel, a military police spokesman.

Kapel later informed AFP that the susρect had been released after paying 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 stated.

Minaj posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that authorities had found cannabis in her luggage, which she claimed belonged to her security personnel.

A common misconception is that marijuana is legal in the Netherlands, famous for its coffee shops that sell pоt. While the consumption of small quantities of cannabis is technically illegаl, the police choose not to enforce the law as part of a tolerance policy in place since the 1970s. However, transporting Ԁrugs to another country remаins illegаl.

Minaj was set to perform in Manchester as part of her Pink Friday 2 World Tour. The hashtag #FREENICKI was trending on X following the incident.

The Manchester concert, initially scheduled for Saturday night, has been postponed. Promoter Live Nation announced that the performance will be rescheduled and tickets will be honored.

“Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible,” Live Nation said in a statement. “We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused.”