Why was Nelly arrested in St. Louis? Rapper reportedly charged with possessing drugs and having no insurance

Rapper Nelly was arrested in the St. Louis area early on Wednesday, August 7, for a previous warrant he had for failing to obtain a car insurance. He was later also charged for drug possession.

The rapper was reportedly on his way out of the Hollywood Casino located in Maryland Heights just around St. Louis on Wednesday at around 4:45 am when the Missouri Gaming Commission stopped him for an ID verification.

After the verification check, which is standard practice for Missouri casinos, they found that the Hot in Here artist had a six-year-old outstanding warrant from a previous traffic stop.

Maryland Heights Police Department's Officer Terry McComas told Us Magazine:

"We arrested him [Nelly] for Failure to Appear on an old traffic charge out of Maryland Heights, Missouri. We received him from the state of Missouri Highway Patrol, Gaming Division at the Hollywood Casino this morning around 5 am."

He was soon arrested inside the casino for the lack of car insurance charge but when the Missouri State Highway Patrol searched his car, they discovered four ecstasy pills. Nelly was taken to the Maryland Heights Police Department with an additional charge of possession of a controlled substance.

According to MSHP records, the rapper has since been released from police custody. In his mugshot that circulated online, the rapper is wearing a black hoodie, a white T-shirt, and a silver chain.

The rapper, who is having a baby with R&B singer Ashanti, is yet to comment on the whole ordeal.

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Rapper Nelly has had previous run-ins with the law

His recent charges, which include the six-year-old outstanding warrant for the lack of car insurance, aren't the first time rapper Nelly has had a run-in with the law. The rapper was previously arrested in Tennessee in 2015 on felony charges.

At the time, police officers found drugs, including m*th and m***juana, in the bus the rapper was riding in. Authorities also reportedly found handguns in the vehicle during the search.

He, along with another passenger, Brian Jones, were later taken into Putnam County Jail, although both were released the following day. Scott Rosenblum, the rapper's attorney, shared a statement to NBC News at the time, saying:

"We are extremely confident that when the facts come out, Nelly will not be associated with the contraband that was allegedly discovered."

The felony charge was dropped but the Shake Ya Tailfeather rapper had pleaded guilty to the possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

He was involved in another bus stop incident during a checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas in 2012 where police found suspected 36 Ziplocs containing h*roin and a pistol in the bus carrying Nelly and other passengers. However, the rapper wasn't arrested at the time.

Also, in 2017, the rapper was arrested for an alleged s*xual assault after a woman named Monique Greene complained that he s*xually assaulted her while riding on his tour bus in Washington. By 2019, the charge was dropped after Green refused to testify in court.