Rapper Snoop Dogg arrested on cannabis charges
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Music celebrity Calvin Broadus (aka Snoop Dogg) was arrested by US Customs and Border Protection on Saturday at the US/Mexico Sierra Blanca highway border checkpoint for illegal possession of drug paraphernalia.
Customs and Border Protection spokesman Bill Brooks said agents smelled cannabis when doing a routine search of Mr. Broadus's tour bus. "When our officers did a further inspection," he said, "they discovered a small amount of [cannabis] and turned him over to the Hudspeth County sheriff". A local County Judge, Becky Dean Walker, stated the typical punitive measure for an illegal drug paraphernalia citation is up to a $500 mail-in fine.
Mr. Broadus's agent was not available for comment. Mr. Broadus has stated in interviews that he has a prescription for cannabis in the US state of California, for migraines and blurry vision. He has been in trouble with the law in the past, and has had a number of convictions on weapon and drug possession charges. Willie Nelson, another music celebrity, was arrested at the same checkpoint for similar charges in November of 2010. The musicians created a song and music video together about cannabis in 2008, called My Medicine.
Sources
- "Snoop Dogg arrested on marijuana charges at Mexican border" — The Daily Telegraph, January 10, 2012
- Associated Press. "Snoop Dog hit with minor drug charge in Texas" — The Sacramento Bee, January 9, 2012