Nicki Minaj postpones England concert after being arrested at Amsterdam airport over marijuana

Minaj was detained for marijuana found in her bags in the Netherlands, where the substance is illegal but tolerated for recreational use

Associated Press

May 26, 2024

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Nicki Minaj’s concert in Manchester scheduled for Saturday night was postponed after police in the Netherlands discovered marijuana in her bags as she was preparing to leave the country.

Promoter Live Nation said 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,” the promoter said in a statement. “We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused.”

Minaj tweeted earlier Saturday that she was stopped at the Amsterdam airport as she was about to board a plane for the concert in Manchester. Police told her they found marijuana in her bags, and it would have to be weighed, she tweeted. Cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, but it is tolerated for recreational use.

Robert Van Kapel, a spokesperson for the Netherlands military police, said a 41-year-old American woman had been arrested for exporting “soft drugs.” He did not identify the woman or elaborate on the type of drugs in question. Police later tweeted that they fined the woman and released her.

Singer Nicki Minaj — Show host Nicki Minaj performs onstage during the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday at Prudential Center in Newark. (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV)

Minaj, who is 41 years old, tweeted that she believes police just wanted to make her late for her concert in Manchester.

“Told you, it’s to try to make me late so that they can write negative stories. Jealousy is a disease. You know the rest,” Minaj tweeted.

Her representatives didn’t immediately respond to messages Saturday.

The Trinidadian-born rapper is best known for her hits “Super Freaky Girl,” “Anaconda” and “Starships.” She has been nominated for 12 Grammy awards over the course of her career. The Manchester concert is part of her “Pink Friday 2” tour, which includes stops in Paris, Poland, Germany, Romania and Switzerland.