Dutch police have denied American rapper Nicki Minaj was racially profiled following her arrest in Amsterdam last weekend, adding that it was “annoying that she drew that card”.
The “Starships” singer was arrested and fined by military police at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport after police said they found “dozens of joints in her luggage”.
It comes shortly after Minaj, 41, was forced to cancel her second Amsterdam concert while on her Pink Friday 2 World Tour, following the incident. The star was unable to make it in time to her Manchester gig at the beleaguered Co-op Live arena leaving 20,000 fans waiting on the night of the arrest.
Earlier this week, the “Anaconda” singer livestreamed her thoughts on the events as she alleged racial profiling.
“Not being able to get to Manchester, I don’t know when was the last time I felt that that low, you know?” she told fans on livestreaming platform Stationhead.
“And not only that, but just knowing that that something is being done to you on purpose. You are a confident other race, you know?
“But I’m not going to get into it and tell you guys the joy they took in it, even while I was there. But you know what? There was one lady there – all the rest were men – and I could tell she had a heart.
“But the treatment was just disgusting. And I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
A spokesperson for the Dutch military police told broadcaster NOS, external: “It’s annoying if she experienced it that way.
“We arrested her when we found dozens of joints in her luggage. The lady was released four hours after arrest in consultation with the public prosecutor, and after paying a fine.
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“I think that it all went very smoothly. It’s annoying that she drew that card.”
A police spokesperson told BBC News: “We just do our job and it is protocol to search luggage and arrest a person when we find drugs.
“The arrest was around 17.30, the release at 21.30. We stand for a professional organisation that treats everybody equal, no matter what.”
The Independent has contacted Nicki Minaj for comment.
Minaj was at the airport on May 25, preparing to leave the city – where she had kicked off her tour – to fly to Manchester, England, for her next concert when she was stopped by border police on suspicion of exporting soft drugs.
In a video live-streamed to her followers, Minaj revealed she had pre-rolled joints in her bag that she said belonged to someone else.
The Netherlands classifies marijuana, which is legal in the country, as “soft drugs.”
After initially resisting the authority’s request that she get into a police vehicle, arguing that she needed “a lawyer present,” she eventually relented and got inside.
The musician was eventually released and fined 350 euros (£300, $380).