Prosecutors have dropped drug possession charges against rapper Nelly following his August arrest at Hollywood Casino St. Louis. The incident occurred when the Grammy-winning artist attempted to cash out $50,000 in slot machine winnings.

St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell stated that "the facts in this case [don't] warrant the issuing of charges." The arrest took place at 4:45 a.m. on August 7, when casino officers conducted what they claimed was a routine background check for large payouts. The check revealed an outstanding bench warrant from 2018 for driving without proof of insurance.

Officers then searched Nelly's vehicle, discovering four ecstasy pills. The rapper was briefly detained and released, with police initially recommending felony possession charges for the Schedule 1 substance. Nelly's attorney later contested both the background check and subsequent search as illegal.

This isn't Nelly's first encounter with law enforcement over alleged drug possession. In 2009, police found methamphetamine, marijuana, and a loaded firearm on his tour bus in Texas, though he wasn't charged. In 2001, he was briefly detained in St. Louis after being found with marijuana.

The 49-year-old rapper, whose real name is Cornell I. Haynes Jr., is considered a local hero in the St. Louis area where he grew up. The warrant that led to his August arrest has since been cleared.

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