Nelly's Tour Bus Busted with 10 Pounds of Pot, Heroin

By Andrew Lu on October 12, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Authorities at a West Texas border checkpoint say they've found a significant amount of drugs and a gun on rapper Nelly's tour bus.

Nelly pleads that he knew nothing about the drugs and he was not charged. Instead, one of his staff members admitted to owning the drugs and gun and was arrested, reports The Associated Press.

The arrest happened at a border checkpoint near Sierra Blanca. You may have heard of this particular checkpoint before because other celebrities have famously been busted there; including, Willie Nelson, Snoop Dog, Fiona Apple, and Armie Hammer, reports the AP.

An initial search of Nelly's tour bus reportedly only turned up a small amount of marijuana, heroin, and the gun. However, the positive search led to a second search which revealed a duffel bag with about 10 pounds of pot, reports the AP. In addition, TMZ reports that 36 baggies of heroin were also found on the tour bus.

Given the amount of drugs found, Nelly's staff member likely faces felony drug charges and could face enhanced penalties for dealing. The penalty for drug possession typically depends upon the weight of the drugs you are caught with. With ten pounds of pot and 36 baggies of heroin, the staff member likely faces very serious penalties. And because It's hard to imagine that even a staff member of a rapper could manage to smoke ten pounds of weed by himself, he could also face charges for dealing drugs.

All performers, artists, and celebrities should write down the name of Sierra Blanca. Authorities at this checkpoint clearly do not get star struck and are not intimidated by a large glossy tour bus. Instead, officials may target such buses for inspection.

The West Texas town is located near El Paso, Texas and its sister Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez. Given Ciudad Juárez' reputation as the "most murderous city in the world" due in large part to drug-related crimes, it is not surprising that the border patrol agents in Sierra Blanca are so vigilant.

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