Juice WRLD's Friends Think Airplane Search Was Sparked By Racial Profiling (UPDATE)

UPDATED 12/12/19 10:30 a.m. ET: Law enforcement sources have disputed the allegations of racial profiling from Juice WRLD's friends. As TMZ reports, sources say that the rapper's 2018 arrest at LaGuardia Airport was not racial profiling but was the result of a routine luggage check. Juice WRLD checked his bag at the NYC airport and when it was put through an x-ray machine, it triggered an anti-terrorism alarm.

TSA reportedly conducted the search and discovered marijuana and bottles of codeine. Law enforcement was notified, and he was arrested when he admitted the drugs were his.

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The police search that could have contributed to Juice WRLD's death might have been the result of on-going police profiling.

As previously reported, Juice WRLD's plane and luggage were being searched by authorities just prior to his fatal seizure. Yet those close to the rapper tell TMZ that it wasn't the first time that he'd had such run-ins with the authorities. Sources tell TMZ that Juice WRLD's plane has been searched by the police on several different occasions at multiple airports., and his "inner circle" doesn't think that these encounters were a coincidence. Instead, they believe that the police singled out Juice because he was a young, rich, black male that happens to fly on private jets.

In 2018, Juice WRLD was arrested at New York City's LaGuardia airport, and law enforcement officials tell TMZ that he was booked for having "prohibited items" on his plane—a small amount of weed and a few bottles of codeine cough syrup. Juice WRLD was looking at misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance charges for the incident. He was reportedly able to plea down to a non-criminal offense and have the case record sealed. Also in November, customs agents searched his private jet before it left Los Angeles for Sydney, Australia. It's unclear if authorities found anything, but drug dogs were used during the search. Juice was eventually allowed to make his trip to Sydney.

The search that took place before his death did result in a hefty haul for police. They found that the rapper was transporting 70 pounds of marijuana to Chicago. According to TMZ's sources, he was planning to have a massive birthday party in Chicago and the weed was brought for the occasion. Additionally, police discovered three firearms on the flight as well as bottles of codeine cough syrup. It is also alleged that Juice WRLD downed several percocets once he became aware of the pending search.