ECU Police arrest rapper, band mates on drug charges

GREENVILLE   —   Rapper Wiz Khalifa, his manager and seven of his band mates were arrested on drug charges late Monday, Nov. 8, after the rapper had performed on East Carolina University’s campus.

ECU Police report that seven officers were providing security to the performer and the concert attendees in Wright Auditorium when several officers noticed the prevalent odor of marijuana around the backstage area, loading dock and one of two tour buses.

The concert began in Wright Auditorium around 8 p.m. with two opening acts before Wiz Khalifa took the stage around 9:45 p.m.  The concert was “sold out” at 1,488–the capacity of the venue.

After the headliner’s performance, ECU Police searched the tour bus, where the performers had been coming and going before the concert and the odor was heavy, the officers said. The second bus was locked.

Dawn Tevepaugh, assistant chief of the ECU Police, said that the rapper was detained after his performance while he was on his way to the bus. “We asked him to cooperate, and he did,” Tevepaugh said.

While on the bus, officers found evidence to charge Wiz Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron J. Thomaz, and nine others with three counts each of trafficking marijuana, maintaining a dwelling or motor vehicle to store or sell marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. A Pitt County magistrate placed each man in the Pitt County Detention Center in lieu of $300,000 bond.

Also arrested was a by-stander who was charged with resisting a public officer and placed under $500 bond.

Greenville Police Department officers were called to assist in crowd control after the event. GPD’s drug canine unit was also called to the scene.

By mid-morning Tuesday, Nov. 9, Thomaz and his manager William G. Dzombak had posted bond. The others remained in the Pitt County Detention Center.

The rapper was brought to ECU’s campus after students launched a Facebook campaign over the summer petitioning to invite the performer to the campus. The students asked the ECU Students Activities Board to help sponsor the event, which it did.