Rapper Lil Baby taken into custody on drug charge in Paris

Lil Baby, the American rapper, and another man were arrested Thursday in Paris and charged with transporting drugs, the Paris prosecutor’s office told CBS News on Thursday.

Lil Baby, 26, whose real name is Dominique Jones, has been attending Paris Fashion Week events with NBA star James Harden. A viral video apparently taken by bystanders showed several police officers questioning Harden and another man. Harden can be heard saying, “I don’t understand.”

The prosecutor’s office said Harden, 31, was “not arrested nor placed in custody” and declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.

French newspaper Le Parisien reported that police said they checked a vehicle that smelled like cannabis around 4:30 p.m. local time. Later, police shared the video on Twitter and said the search of the vehicle was justified.

A representative for Lil Baby did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.

The Atlanta-born rapper is a three-time Grammy-nominated artist and has been spending the week with Harden in Paris. The stars were photographed together on Wednesday arriving at a Balenciaga event and Harden has a producer credit on Lil Baby’s latest record “Voice of the Hero.” 

In January, Lil Baby spoke about their friendship to Billboard. “He got a real ear for music,” he said of Harden. “That’s how me and him linked on another level. He really into music.”