Marijuana arrest didn’t spoil Gigi Hadid’s Cayman Islands vacation

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP):

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 US, 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 US$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 AP that Hadid had bought the marijuana legally in New York City with a medical licence, and that her record remains clear.

The Cayman Islands legalised 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 offence.