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Singer Nicki Minaj has been released from police custody in Amsterdam, after being arrested when police reportedly found drugs in her luggage, according to a spokesperson for Netherlands border police.
Her Manchester show on Saturday evening was postponed. Fans had already filled the Co-op Live Arena before Live Nation announced the show would not go ahead.
Robert van Kapel, a spokesperson for Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, the border police in charge of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, told The Independent earlier on Saturday that the pop star had been arrested and was in custody.
Although Kapel did not name Minaj, who went live on Instagram while Amsterdam police were attempting to take her into custody, he said he “can confirm we have arrested a 41 year old American because we did a check at Schiphol Airport and found soft drugs with her and it’s illegal to export soft drugs in the Netherlands.”
Minaj is 41 years old. The Netherlands classifies marijuana, which is legal in the country, as “soft drugs” and Minaj revealed in her video that her bag contained pre-rolled joints that she said belonged to someone else.
Officials issued an update at around 4pm EST stating that it had released their “suspect and she can now move on,” according to PA Ready. The officials added that the woman will have to pay “a fine” which will be determined by the Public Prosecution Service.
In Minaj’s Instagram video, an official can be heard saying they wanted to arrest her for “carrying drugs,” an allegation that she denied.
An official tells Minaj that her bags were initially subjected to a “random quick check,” but that police wanted to do a full search. When she asked why, she was told that an officer “doesn’t believe that you don’t have more with you than you say,” noting that her decision to film the search made the officer suspicious.
Minaj initially refused to go with police.
“I’m not going in there. I need a lawyer present,” she told the officer.
