“This is what it looks like when people are paid big money to try to sabotage a tour after all else failed.’’
U.S. rapper Nicki Minaj was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possessing drugs on 26 May.
The arrest led to a brief disruption in her schedule as the artiste was going to perform in Manchester, United Kingdom later that day.
Minaj shared her experience on social media, posting a video of her being questioned by Dutch officials.
According to AFP, authorities at Schiphol Airport confirmed the detention of a 41-year-old American woman but did not officially identify her as Minaj, citing their standard privacy 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 spokesman for the military police, told AFP that the suspect was 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 took to social media platform X, revealing that authorities had found cannabis in her luggage which she claimed belonged to her security personnel.
“Now they said they found weed & that another group of ppl have to come here to weigh the pre-rolls,” she said.
She also said that the pilot wanted her to take her Instagram post down.
The rapper posted a video clip on her Instagram page complaining about the incident.
The video was captioned, “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.”
She also claimed that people were trying to sabotage her tour.
She wrote, “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. The incident highlights a common misconception about drug laws in The Netherlands.”
Though The Netherlands is famous for its coffee shops that sell cannabis, the consumption of the drug is technically illegal but tolerated under a policy in place since the 1970s. However, transporting cannabis to another country remains strictly illegal.
As a result of the detention, Minaj’s Manchester concert, part of her Pink Friday 2 World Tour, originally scheduled for Saturday night, has been postponed.
Promoter Live Nation announced in a statement that the performance would be rescheduled and tickets will be honoured.
The statement read, “Nicki Minaj’s scheduled performance at Manchester’s Co-op Live on Saturday 25th May has been postponed. Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled performance which will be announced ASAP.’’
“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.”
Fans of the rapper are now eagerly awaiting news of the rescheduled event.
Appreciating and apologising to her fans, the artiste took to her X account to say “Thank you to everyone who prayed for me today. May God cover you & all that is connected to you. May you be blessed beyond your imagination.”
She also posted around 1:30 am that she’s at a hotel after arriving in Manchester late.
“Barbz, I’m @ the stock exchange hotel in #Manchester I arrived a little over an hour ago. After sitting in a jail cell for 5-6 hours,” she said.
