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Panda on Steroids: NYPD Arrests Rapper Designer on Felony Drug Charges
“Panda” rapper Desiigner (real name: Sidney Royel Selby III) has had a breakout year in 2016 even though New York's finest tried to put a damper on it this week. The NYPD arrested Desiigner with four other people for suspected possession and trafficking of methamphetamine, oxycodone (Oxycontin), methadone and anabolic steroids after responding to a 911 call reporting a “road rage” or “roid rage” incident on September 8, 2016.
“I know that the recovered pills were methamphetamines and other controlled substances based on my professional training as a police officer in the identification of drugs, my prior experience as a police officer making drug arrests, and my observation of the packaging, which is characteristic of what they are alleged to be,” according to the criminal complaint filed by NYPD officer Jose Espinal.
Desiigner was booked and charged with felony criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of drugs with intent to sell and felony possession of a loaded firearm and menacing. An NYPD source cited by TMZ provided details of the arrest including the allegation that Desiigner pointed a gun at another driver during a dispute.
NYPD officers discovered a large quantity of loose pills – 302 pills to be exact – in the console of the white Cadillac Escalade SUV in which Desiigner was a passenger. Desiigner was interrogated and held in police custody for 36 hours. NYPD arresting officers had originally concluded that they had busted a rapper-drug dealer. It turned out that they were completely wrong.
Stacey Richman and Ian Niles, the attorneys representing Desiigner, called the drug charges “bogus” and criticized the NYPD sources that "recklessly reported the information to the media." They also dismissed the allegation that their client was in possession of, much less trafficking, any type of illegal, psychoactive drugs. Desiigner had no knowledge of the pills discovered in his SUV which belonged to the driver of the SUV. Furthermore, there was no firearm discovered at the scene.
Desiigner's legal team claimed the motivation behind the arrest and detention was to take down a successful young black man.
"It's time to embrace the true narrative of a young black man enjoying his success and working hard for a prosperous career,” Richman and Niles said in a statement released to the media.
The NYPD insisted their was no racial profiling and deny any accusations that Desiigner was targeted because he was a young black man. At the same time, it turns out that Desiigner's legal representation was correct on everything else.
The pills were not, in fact, methamphetamine, oxycodone or methadone. The pills were all anabolic steroids belonging to the driver Scott Siegel. Specifically, the police seizure involved four different types of anabolic steroids separated into individual Ziploc bags. The pills were identified in news reports as methandrostenolone, PharmOne Oxandrolone, Anrolin Oxymetholone 50mg and Halotest Fluxymesteron”. The names could very well have represented methandienone (Dianabol), oxandrolone (Anavar), oxymetholone (Anadrol) and fluoxymesterone (Halotestin).
It was not immediately clear if Scott Siegel, the driver of the Escalade, was the same actor who played a steroid dealer in the Darren Aronofsky film “The Wrestler” starring Mickey Rourke. It turned out that Siegel was a real-life steroid dealer who went to prison both before and after his role in “The Wrestler”.
The NYPD has dropped most of the original charges including the most serious felony gun and trafficking charges. Desiigner could eventually see all charges dropped. But Siegel may very likely see all the charges against him stick.
“Panda” rapper Desiigner (real name: Sidney Royel Selby III) has had a breakout year in 2016 even though New York's finest tried to put a damper on it this week. The NYPD arrested Desiigner with four other people for suspected possession and trafficking of methamphetamine, oxycodone (Oxycontin), methadone and anabolic steroids after responding to a 911 call reporting a “road rage” or “roid rage” incident on September 8, 2016.
“I know that the recovered pills were methamphetamines and other controlled substances based on my professional training as a police officer in the identification of drugs, my prior experience as a police officer making drug arrests, and my observation of the packaging, which is characteristic of what they are alleged to be,” according to the criminal complaint filed by NYPD officer Jose Espinal.
Desiigner was booked and charged with felony criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of drugs with intent to sell and felony possession of a loaded firearm and menacing. An NYPD source cited by TMZ provided details of the arrest including the allegation that Desiigner pointed a gun at another driver during a dispute.
NYPD officers discovered a large quantity of loose pills – 302 pills to be exact – in the console of the white Cadillac Escalade SUV in which Desiigner was a passenger. Desiigner was interrogated and held in police custody for 36 hours. NYPD arresting officers had originally concluded that they had busted a rapper-drug dealer. It turned out that they were completely wrong.
Stacey Richman and Ian Niles, the attorneys representing Desiigner, called the drug charges “bogus” and criticized the NYPD sources that "recklessly reported the information to the media." They also dismissed the allegation that their client was in possession of, much less trafficking, any type of illegal, psychoactive drugs. Desiigner had no knowledge of the pills discovered in his SUV which belonged to the driver of the SUV. Furthermore, there was no firearm discovered at the scene.
Desiigner's legal team claimed the motivation behind the arrest and detention was to take down a successful young black man.
"It's time to embrace the true narrative of a young black man enjoying his success and working hard for a prosperous career,” Richman and Niles said in a statement released to the media.
The NYPD insisted their was no racial profiling and deny any accusations that Desiigner was targeted because he was a young black man. At the same time, it turns out that Desiigner's legal representation was correct on everything else.
The pills were not, in fact, methamphetamine, oxycodone or methadone. The pills were all anabolic steroids belonging to the driver Scott Siegel. Specifically, the police seizure involved four different types of anabolic steroids separated into individual Ziploc bags. The pills were identified in news reports as methandrostenolone, PharmOne Oxandrolone, Anrolin Oxymetholone 50mg and Halotest Fluxymesteron”. The names could very well have represented methandienone (Dianabol), oxandrolone (Anavar), oxymetholone (Anadrol) and fluoxymesterone (Halotestin).
It was not immediately clear if Scott Siegel, the driver of the Escalade, was the same actor who played a steroid dealer in the Darren Aronofsky film “The Wrestler” starring Mickey Rourke. It turned out that Siegel was a real-life steroid dealer who went to prison both before and after his role in “The Wrestler”.
The NYPD has dropped most of the original charges including the most serious felony gun and trafficking charges. Desiigner could eventually see all charges dropped. But Siegel may very likely see all the charges against him stick.
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