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Model Gigi Hadid arrested, released in Cayman Islands on marijuana charge

A representative for Hadid said she bought the marijuana legally in New York City with a medical license.
Credit: AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File
FILE - Gigi Hadid poses for photographers at the premiere of 'Firebrand' at the 76th international film festival in Cannes, France, May 21, 2023.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — American model Gigi Hadid and a friend went ahead with a vacation in the Cayman Islands after local authorities arrested the pair for marijuana possession and later released them.

Hadid, who arrived on a private aircraft from the U.S., was arrested after Customs and Border Control agents searched her luggage and found a small amount of cannabis, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.

Officials identified her as Jelena Noura Hadid, which is the 28-year-old model's legal name.

Hadid and her friend arrived in the Cayman Islands on July 10 and pleaded guilty on July 12 to importing a controlled drug and a drug utensil. They were fined more than $1,200, with no conviction recorded, authorities said.

“All's well that ends well,” Hadid posted Tuesday on Instagram, along with a photo of her and a friend at the beach.

A representative told The Associated Press that Hadid had bought the marijuana legally in New York City with a medical license, and that her record remains clear.

The Cayman Islands legalized medical marijuana in May 2017, but recreational use remains illegal. Local laws dictate a prison sentence of up to a year and/or a fine for possession of up to 12 grams of marijuana for a first offense.

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