Rapper Kodak Black arrested on drug trafficking charge in Florida

Rapper Kodak Black, who has sold more than 30 million singles, has been arrested on a drug trafficking charge in Florida.

The Haitian-American musician, whose real name is Bill Kapri, was booked into the Orange County Jail on Wednesday on a felony charge of trafficking MDMA, also known as ecstasy.

The 28-year-old star entered a written plea of not guilty and asked for a jury trial on Thursday.

He also waived appearing in person at a future arraignment hearing in state court, with his bond set at $75,000 (£55,000).

Kapri's arrest comes after police were called in November by residents in Orlando who reported hearing gunfire.

Officers saw a group hanging out around parked luxury SUVs, including Kapri, a police report said.

An officer spotted a white substance on a $100 bill inside a Lamborghini, which smelt of cannabis, giving the officer probable cause to search the car.

During the search, the officer found a pink bag containing a plastic bag of MDMA, $37,000 and several documents with Kapri's name on them, according to the police report.

The pink bag matched a bag seen in a photo of Kapri on his Instagram account.

The bag also contained a distinct lighter that appeared in the photo, investigators said.

According to the police report, everyone at the scene denied owning the bag, including Kapri, who said the money belonged to his business, and asked for it to be returned.

Kapri has faced previous legal issues.

In 2023, officers in Plantation, Florida, arrested Kapri after finding him asleep at the wheel with white powder around his mouth, officials said.

Although police said the powder initially tested positive for cocaine, a lab test revealed it was oxycodone, which Kapri had obtained on prescription.

The arrest was a violation of his probation from an unrelated case, which led to him being jailed in Miami for two months.

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The rapper was also arrested in 2022 on charges of trafficking in oxycodone and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

He was freed on bond, with regular drug testing as a condition of his release.

Kodak Black's hits include Super Gremlin, which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022.

(c) Sky News 2026: Rapper Kodak Black arrested on drug trafficking charge in Florida