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Clooney Girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis Caught in Cocaine Scandal

By Laura Strachan, Esq. on July 30, 2010 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Elisabetta Canalis is all over the news these days, but this time it's not for dating her boyfriend of over a year, George Clooney. Rather, the 31 year-old Italian model and TV host has been implicated in a complicated Italian cocaine scandal involving two Milan nightclubs.

Caught in the middle of a prostitution and drug bust, one party to the case is quoted as saying, "I remember taking cocaine with Elisabetta Canalis and others," according to the New York Daily News. The allegations date back to 2008. Clearly, this case has less to do with Canalis and more to do with the sex and drugs authorities believe the nightclubs were offering to their VIP clientele in an effort to have their big spenders ring up high tabs.

So what's at stake here? The claims are essentially drug possession charges against Canalis. Possession of a controlled substance (in this case cocaine) is the simplest drug crime, but it can still carry some serious penalties including hefty fines and jail time. Punishment will depend on a variety of factors including the type of drug, the amount of the drug in possession, and whether the individual had a previous criminal record. In Canalis's case, all illegal drug activity occurred in Italy, and therefore she is not subject to U.S. drug possession charges. So instead of throwing out guesses regarding her crime and punishment, we are left to gossip about underground Italian nightlife and bad business models.

Although the circumstances of this investigation seem like perfect fodder for a Hollywood movie, Canalis is not being implicated for any involvement with prostitution - just that she was using cocaine at a club that is now under investigation. They say all press is good press in Hollywood, but a cocaine scandal is probably not welcome coverage for the typically proper Elisabetta Canalis.

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