Throughout his career, the British rap star Fredo has faced several legal issues. However, those incidents typically happened on his home turf, and Fredo has now found himself in trouble in Dubai. Back in 2023, the UK rapper was rumored to be arrested after he was caught in possession of cannabis.
The rapper debuted in 2016 with his now-popular single, “They Ain’t 100.” However, he didn’t get to experience the song blow-up in real time as he was sent to jail. Fortunately for him, he beat the charges and was subsequently released. In 2017, another run-in with the law occurred but he has managed to stay out of prison since. It seems that his successful streak of staying out of trouble has come to an end, unfortunately, as reports claim Fredo has now been sentenced to prison in Dubai. Here’s what we know so far.
What Is Fredo’s Offence?
In late 2023, Fredo was on vacation in Dubai but unfortunately, he soon had a run-in with the law, ending his presumably blissful trip. According to reports from The Sun, authorities found the rapper in possession of cannabis and subsequently arrested him. Dubai has very strict drug laws, so the authorities reportedly wasted no time putting Fredo in jail after the discovery. The Sun reported on October 30, 2023, that he had been in jail awaiting trial since September.
Fredo has been penalized by the authorities for drug use before. In April 2023, he received a three-year driving ban in the UK. He had been speeding while driving. It was eventually discovered that he had used over the legal cannabis limit.
The Sentence
As aforementioned, Fredo is believed to have been in a Dubai jail since September 2023. It’s been speculated since the rumors emerged that the rapper could be sentenced to a few years in prison. Radha Stirling, the CEO of Detained In Dubai, an advocacy organization, gave a brief statement to The Sun, saying, “The most likely outcome for possession of cannabis would be one to two years in prison, it could be up to three years.” Stirling later added that if he were prosecuted with intent to sell or trafficking, Fredo could face upwards of 5 years in prison.
The "I'm Back" rapper's case was expected to reach court this week, per Clash Magazine. Although on Monday (Jan. 29th) several online reports claimed that he has been sentenced to five years in prison, this has yet to be confirmed. Fredo nor his team have made public statements regarding the case.