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In our own countries, it seems celebrities are impervious to the law — or they have enough money to skirt past it. In foreign countries, however, things get a little tricky.
Being arrested abroad has many complications, and some treaties between countries can apparently be disregarded without penalty. Check out the gallery to learn more about stars who have been arrested while abroad.
On March 5, 2022, the Russian Federal Customs Service announced that WNBA Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner—who plays on Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA off-season—had been arrested in Russia on February 17. They allegedly found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. After spending months in jail awaiting trial, Griner was given an incredibly harsh sentence of nine years in prison, almost the maximum sentence for her minor crime. Many believed that Griner was being used as a political pawn and the US government treated her imprisonment like a hostage situation.
For a long time, it seemed like no progress was being made, but after 10 months of detention in Russia, Griner was finally released on December 8, 2022. She was freed after the US negotiated a prisoner swap with Russia. An infamous Russian arms dealer named Viktor Bout was handed over in exchange for Griner on the tarmac of an airport in the United Arab Emirates. Bout, nicknamed the "merchant of death," had been imprisoned in the US for 12 years, and Russian officials had been vying for his release long before Griner's arrest. The successful swap sent Griner on her way home to her wife and family in the US after spending almost a year in confinement, unsure if she'd ever see them again.
Actor Antony Starr, famed for his role as twisted superhero Homelander on Amazon's 'The Boys,' was arrested in the early morning of March 2, 2022, in Alicante, Spain, for allegedly assaulting a chef outside a pub. While the New Zealand-born actor was reportedly in town to shoot an upcoming Guy Ritchie movie, Chef Bathuel Araujo claimed that an intoxicated Starr punched him twice before smashing a glass in his face, and he had to be taken to a hospital to get four stitches to his face.
After spending two nights behind bars, Starr admitted to the drunken assault and was given a 12-month suspended sentence, along with being ordered to pay restitution to Araujo in the amount of US$5,464.97 within 72 hours, according to Variety. Apparently in Spain, any sentence under two years is automatically suspended if the convicted offender does not have a criminal record, which fortunately Starr does not.
He was ordered to spend two weeks in pre-trial detention while police investigated the incident.
After being detained for three weeks awaiting investigation, the rapper was charged, on July 25, with assault. He plead not guilty to these charges.
In early July 2019, British soul singer said she was detained for a night and deported the following morning in Iran, the final nation on her "Total World Tour." She said that the immigration officials were apologetic about the whole thing, but added, "We were the ones that should have been apologizing for not having our correct paper work."
Speaking to Complex, Bieber said he wasn’t even drinking or speeding, and that the cop just wanted press. He also said jail is "freezing; it’s uncomfortable. There are people in there you just don’t want to be around."
While on a break from filming 'Z for Zachariah' in New Zealand, the American actor was caught driving while drunk, with a blood alcohol percentage of .11. He was fined NZ$93 (US$79) and his New Zealand driver's license was suspended.
The Polish filmmaker was arrested in the US in 1997 for having sex with a minor.
After failing to declare that she was carrying more than US$50,000 in her purse while flying, the American singer was arrested at an airport in Mexico City.
In 2005, the late American singer was arrested in Mexico by federal officials for not paying his taxes in the US.
Supermodel Gigi Hadid flew to the Cayman Islands in her private jet for a girls' trip on July 10, 2023. When they arrived, Customs & Border Control agents searched her bags and found marijuana and drug paraphernalia. They made a similar discovery in the bag of her friend, Leah Nicole McCarthy. The women were both arrested and then released on bail. They had to appear before a judge two days later where they both pled guilty and were given US$1,000 fines. "Gigi was traveling with marijuana purchased legally in N.Y.C. with a Medical license. It has also been legal for medical use in Grand Cayman since 2017," a rep for Hadid said in a statement. "Her record remains clear and she enjoyed the rest of her time on the island."
Stars who got arrested abroad
From Justin Bieber to Paul McCartney
CELEBRITY Crime
In our own countries, it seems celebrities are impervious to the law — or they have enough money to skirt past it. In foreign countries, however, things get a little tricky.
Being arrested abroad has many complications, and some treaties between countries can apparently be disregarded without penalty. Check out the gallery to learn more about stars who have been arrested while abroad.