Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage turned himself in to local Georgia authorities on Thursday night. Real name, Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, he will face allegations of drug and weapons possession from the notorious incident back at the onset of 2019 when immigration officials arrested him in a joint operation with Georgia authorities.
The incident in 2019 saw the rapper taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Feb 3. After much international attention in the media, he was released on bond. During the arrest, ICE officials told the media that the rapper had been convicted of felony drug charges back in 2014. His attorneys have claimed that information to be false.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, a local magistrate court judge signed off on a warrant that authorized the rapper’s arrest in DeKalb County where the rapper turned himself in.
His attorneys have claimed that he was not aware of the warrant. The paperwork cites allegations that during the automobile stop he was involved in with authorities on the evening of the ICE arrest, the rapper discarded a bottle of liquid that later tested positive for codeine. Additionally, a handgun was found in the car.
Since the night of the arrest, the US government has also pursued his deportation back to the UK, his country of birth.
His representative Charles Kuck has said: “The warrant appears to have been sought at the behest of ICE, as the warrant was issued in the eve of an Immigration Court hearing in Mr. Joseph’s deportation proceeding, and is based upon events that transpired on the evening that ICE arrested Mr. Joseph over 2 and-a-half years ago”.
A hearing over his immigration status is set for Nov 1. Kuck also added:
“There can be no doubt that ICE is seeking to cover its own errors in detaining Mr. Jospeh by pushing trumped-up charges against him and seeks to stop him from obtaining lawful permanent residence in the United States,”
In recent months the rapper has also been trying to acquire a US green card, which would finally afford him a permanent residency and a palpable path to full-fledged citizenship. This is a developing story.
Listen to 21 Savage & Metro Boomin ‘Brand New Draco’ below.
