Nicki Minaj was forced to postpone her concert Saturday in Manchester, England after the rapper was detained at an Amsterdam airport for what she claimed was carrying marijuana in her luggage.
On Saturday, following a Thursday concert in Amsterdam, Minaj was set to embark to the U.K. for the Manchester gig when she was stopped by airport security, who she said on social media found “pre-roll marijuana” in a search of the luggage of the people she was traveling with.
“Keep in mind they took my bags without consent,” she wrote on social media. “My security has already advised them those pre-rolls belong to him.”
Minaj posted several videos and livestreamed some of her interactions with Amsterdam police, including one video where she was detained and placed in a police vehicle. She warned fans that her departure to Manchester was delayed because “another group of ppl have to come here to weigh the pre-rolls” and that she would be questioned by police.
The Netherlands military police confirmed to CNN that they had arrested an unnamed 41-year-old American woman at Schiphol Airport “on suspicion of exporting soft drugs,” and that she had been released. “Following consultation with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect received a monetary fine and is now permitted to continue her journey,” a spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. (Although marijuana is legal in Amsterdam, it is illegal to export.)
Live Nation later confirmed that due to Minaj’s ordeal — during which the rapper said she was “sitting in a jail cell for 5-6 hours — the Manchester show would be postponed, “Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible.”
Amid the arrest, Minaj claimed on social media that there had been frequent attempts at previous cities to “sabotage” her tour.
“They succeeded at their plan to not let me get on that stage tonight,” Minaj wrote following the postponement. “Please please please accept my deepest & most sincere apologies. They sure did know exactly how to hurt me today but this too, shall pass.”
She added, “They’ve been doing this over & over & over & over & over again & I’ve tried so hard to not discuss it b/c [because] you guys deserve to just get the good stuff. I hate involving you in anything that isn’t for entertainment purposes only.”
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.
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, my…— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) May 26, 2024
A rescheduled date for Saturday’s show has not yet been announced, however Minaj will return to Manchester Thursday for another previously scheduled gig in the city. Minaj will perform in Birmingham, England on Sunday night.
“We will have another date for tonight’s show shortly & I’ll probably be able to share it tmrw. One July option & one June option is currently being discussed,” Minaj wrote.
“I’ll find a way to not only make up the date with the performance but I’m going to create an added bonus for everyone that had a tkt for this show. Promise.”
