Juelz Santana (real name: LaRon Louis James) was sentenced to 27 months in prison Wednesday morning, stemming from an incident at Newark Airport, NorthJersey.com reports. In March, the TSA found a loaded Derringer 38-caliber handgun and a “controlled dangerous substance” in the Dipset rapper’s carry-on bag. Santana, real name LaRon Louis James, was scheduled to board a flight to San Francisco.
After leaving his bags and identification at a security checkpoint Santana “paced the area nervously and requested that several individuals screen his bag expeditiously because he was going to miss his flight,” read the criminal complaint. He fled the airport in a cab, but surrendered himself to the Port Authority Police two days later. In August, he pleaded guilty to carrying a weapon on an aircraft and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to the Asbury Park Press, after accepting a plea agreement Santana faced between two to five years in prison. At this time, it is unknown when Santana will need to turn himself in to start serving his sentence.
For nearly a decade, Santana has faced various legal troubles. In 2011 a raid of Santana’s Bergenfield, New Jersey studio resulted in the police finding two loaded handguns and 17 dime bags of marijuana. Then in 2013, Santana was given two years probation for assaulting his then-girlfriend and the woman who tried to stop the couple’s altercation.
Last month, the Diplomats released their first album in 14 years, Diplomatic Ties. Jim Jones told Billboard that the group was going to work on Diplomatic Immunity 3 and a documentary next. It isn’t clear whether Santana’s prison sentence will hinder these plans.