21 Savage charged with drug and gun possession, here's how long he could be in jail
British-born rapper 21 Savage, who was arrested by ICE in 2019 for overstaying his visa, turned himself into Atlanta Police on September 23 on drug and weapons possession charges in a case stemming from his earlier arrest. In 2019, the rapper was taken into custody by ICE during the Grammy week which further shed light on his immigration status.
According to multiple reports, a warrant was issued to the ‘Savage Mode II’ hitmaker related to his immigration case that was issued by a local magistrate after being filed in the first week of September- the reason why he surrendered himself to the authorities. However, the 28-year-old hip-hop artist was later released on bond. ICE claimed that the rapper had been convicted of felony drug charges in 2014. 21 Savage’s attorneys clarified that the conviction was later vacated and the aggravated felony charge against him was dropped, as reported by Variety. Speaking of alleged crimes committed by rappers, artists like TI, 9lokknine, and Silento among others grabbed headlines for getting arrested in the last few months.
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How long 21 Savage could be in jail?
21 Savage, whose real name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was released on bond after he turned himself to the authorities. However, according to the law, the jail time for gun possession carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 3.5 years. Whereas, the maximum prison sentence for the same goes up to15 years if an individual does not have a prior felony conviction. And for drug possession, an individual can go behind the bars for 8 to 20 years if it is a class A-I felony and 3 to 10 years if it is a class A-II felony.
Was 21 Savage not aware of the warrant?
The lawyers of 21 Savage claim that the rapper was not aware of the warrant until Thursday, September 23. The warrant claimed that the hip-hop artist in February 2019 threw a bottle out of his car window that was later found to contain codeine. Also, a handgun was discovered inside the car. Speaking on the matter, the rapper’s attorney Charles Kuck told Buzzfeed, “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 one-half years ago.” Kuck added, “There can be no doubt that ICE is seeking to cover its own errors in detaining Mr. Joseph by pushing trumped-up charges against him and seeks to stop him from obtaining lawful permanent residence in the United States."
In a 2019 Interview, 21 Savage, who has been living in Atlanta since 2006, had claimed that he was being targeted by an immigration-enforcement agency. According to Variety, the rapper on the ‘Good Morning America’ show said, “I was just driving and I just seen guns and blue lights. And then, I was in the back of a car and I was gone. They didn’t say nothing. They just said, ‘We got Savage.’” He added, “I’ve been in Atlanta probably 20 years, 19 years. I’m from Atlanta, in my eyes. I’ve been here 20 years.”