Nelly Winning Big At St. Louis Casino Leads To Him Being Arrested For Possessing Ecstasy

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N elly ‘s personal life has had many headlines recently thanks to him reconnecting with longtime ex Ashanti .

But his latest run-in with the police has him trending for an entirely different reason. The 45-year-old was gambling at Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights, Missouri, when he hit a jackpot.

However, in accordance with Missouri Gaming Commission regulations, authorities asked for proper identification before he could get his payout, which is when the issue began. Upon verifying who he was, a quick search revealed that he had a warrant out for his arrest for failure to show proof of car insurance. Cops then proceeded to search him and allegedly found four ecstasy pills on him.

That led to his arrest, and after being searched, he was charged with drug possession when he was taken into custody around 4:45 a.m. The initial warrant is from 2018 when he failed to appear in court due to a lack of insurance.

However, Nelly’s lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, is fighting the charges, claiming that running his background check wasn’t done after prior wins, and they made a spectacle of his client.

“The officer informed Mr. Haynes a background check was mandated when a player won over a certain amount; Mr. Haynes knew this to be untrue as he had won several jackpots for similar or greater amounts, including one just a week prior without incident or a background check,” Rosenblum’s statement to ET read . “Once Mr. Haynes was informed of the warrant for a No Proof of Insurance infraction, this officer felt compelled to handcuff Mr. Haynes behind his back and parade him through the casino in front of other patrons.”

Rosenblum goes on to explain that if Nelly wasn’t a public figure, he would have been let go and instructed to contact authorities and settle the issue rather than being cuffed. Plus, as an entertainer, he regularly travels out of the country, and if he had any valid warrants, it wouldn’t have been possible.

His lawyer is confident that the charges will ultimately amount to nothing, but see how social media is reacting to the news below.