The man accused of bringing drugs onto Nelly‘s tour bus has pleaded not guilty to drug possession charges.
Brian Keith Jones and six other people, including Nelly, were detained in Siera Blanca, Texas after police officers searched the bus and recovered 36 baggies of heroin, ten pounds of marijuana and a loaded pistol in a duffel bag.
Nelly and the other detained passengers were released after Jones admitted the drugs and gun belonged to him. Nelly later released a statement about the incident.
“It is my understanding a member of my staff made an unfortunate decision to bring unlawful materials onto our tour bus that resulted in his arrest this morning, October 11th,” said Nelly in his statement. “Neither I nor anyone else on the tour bus was aware of his decision to bring these on board. Law enforcement officials in Sierra Blanca, Texas did not press charges against anyone other than that individual.”
While the above statement was very eloquent, Nelly wasn’t as formal about his feelings on his Twitter page. “I’m not gonna front I’m mad as Hell about this sh*t! To have someone who works for you and who you call a friend for over 10 years jeopardize your life WTF?” he tweeted. “That being said he was not only an employee but he was family – someone who protected my life for many years! No excuse for what he did! My heart goes out to his family and his kids!”
According to the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s office, the drugs were uncovered by a drug sniffing dog during a routine stop to verify the citizenship of the people on the bus. Jones is facing felony drug charges and has been released on bond. There were no other arrests.
This isn’t the first time a celebrity got caught up by the Siera Blanca checkpoint. Willie Nelson, Armie Hammer, Snoop Dogg and Fiona Apple have all been caught with drugs as they passed through this checkpoint.
