Kazakhstan Drops Drug Charges Against Russian Rapper Navai and Deports Him
Kazakh authorities have closed the criminal case against Russian hip-hop artist Navai, who was found with marijuana at the border, and expelled him from the country. The rapper had been detained last week while entering from Kyrgyzstan.
Police in Kazakhstan said on Tuesday that the criminal case against popular Russian hip-hop performer Navai, whose full name is Navai Bakirov, has been terminated. He had been charged with drug smuggling and has now been deported.
Arrest and court ruling
Bakirov was detained last Tuesday as he crossed into Kazakhstan from neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Border guards found 2.5 grams of marijuana in his vehicle. A court ordered him held in pre-trial detention for two months. According to reports, he admitted under questioning that he had bought the cannabis in Bishkek before crossing the border, which prompted an internal investigation in Kyrgyzstan.
Case closed
The Zhambyl regional police department in Kazakhstan told the outlet Tengrinews that the case was closed on non-rehabilitating grounds. Officials took into account his "active repentance" and the fact that it was his first offense. In comments quoted by Russia's state-run news agency TASS, the police said the foreign citizen had been deported. Bakirov's lawyers had said earlier that they were seeking his release on bail.
Concerts cancelled
The arrest led to the cancellation of his concert in Astana, planned for last Wednesday, and organizers postponed the rest of his tour dates.
Background
Bakirov comes from the Samara region in southern Russia. He became well known across the post-Soviet space as part of the hit-making duo HammAli & Navai before starting a solo career. His legal problems in Central Asia came about a month after he settled a separate civil dispute in Moscow by compensating the city for damage caused when he crashed his Ferrari in the center of the Russian capital in May.
