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New York City rapper Sheck Wes was arrested this week after a traffic stop in Harlem turned up a small amount of weed and an unregistered firearm.
According to a scoop from TMZ, the “Mo Bamba” rapper and three friends were cruising through the borough in a Lamborghini truck when a police cruiser pulled the car over for what officers later said was an “excessive window tint” stop. But once the officers approached the car, they immediately said that they smelled marijuana and began searching the vehicle.
Shortly after they started their search, cops said that they found an unregistered 9 millimeter Smith & Wesson handgun in a bag and a small quantity of weed. The details on what happened next aren’t exactly clear yet, but eventually, both Sheck and at least one of the passengers were arrested and charged with two felonies — criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a loaded firearm.
Adding insult to injury, cops also apparently issued Sheck a citation for both cannabis possession and driving without a license.
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, police across the country — and the NYPD in particular — have repeatedly used social distancing directives as an excuse to make minor stops, searches, and arrests.
Thanks to recent changes in New York law, though, Sheck and his friend were released without bail after a short arraignment, and will await their trial date from home, and not a jail cell.
“This morning, Judge Moyne, in the Manhattan Criminal Court released Sheck Wes on his own recognizance, with no bail,” Sheck’s attorney, Scott Leemon, told TMZ. “His case was adjourned to August. During that period, we will conduct our own investigation into the charges.”
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