Rapper Kodak Black turned himself in to Orange County jail Wednesday ahead of a Thursday court appearance in Orlando on a felony drug charge tied to a November incident near a children's facility.
The 28-year-old artist, whose legal name is Bill Kahan Kapri, is accused of trafficking MDMA following a police response to reported gunfire near Children's Safety Village. Officers arriving at the scene found multiple vehicles, including a Lamborghini and BMW, surrounded by people.
During a search, police located a single pink pill weighing approximately 25 milligrams that tested positive for MDMA inside a pink bag bearing Kapri's name. The bag also contained $37,000 in cash, according to the arrest warrant.
When confronted by officers, Kapri initially denied ownership of the bag before requesting that police return the money, claiming it belonged to his business.
The single count of felony MDMA trafficking carries mandatory minimums of three years imprisonment and potential sentences up to 30 years, plus fines reaching $50,000.
Kapri's attorney, Brad Cohen, characterized the case as having a weak foundation. He told TMZ the arrest followed a pattern of previous legal troubles that should not have resulted in charges.
Cohen asserted that his client was not in either vehicle at the time of the search and had no actual possession of the pill. He noted that Kapri's fingerprint was found on a prescription cough medicine bottle that he had legitimate access to handle.
Podcast host Loren LaRosa, formerly of TMZ, posted on social media that Cohen denied Kapri held any drugs and predicted the charges would not survive legal scrutiny. According to LaRosa, the attorney maintained Kapri was neither present during the vehicle search nor in possession of the pill at any point officers observed.
The case marks another legal hurdle for the rapper, who served prison time on a firearms conviction before Trump granted him a presidential pardon in January 2021 during his final days in office. That pardon also extended to other prominent Black artists including Lil Wayne.
Author James Rodriguez: "Kapri's defense is betting on reasonable doubt in a case that hinges on a single pill, but mandatory minimum sentencing laws in Florida leave little room for judicial discretion if he's convicted."
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