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About 85 miles east of El Paso, Texas, on a stretch of I-10-an interstate highway that spans from California to Florida, and has long been a road traveled by musicians touring the Southwest and film crews shooting on location in the area-sits the township of Sierra Blanca. This tiny spec on the map of Texas is a notorious U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint which has become known as the "black hole of tour-bus drug busts," where heat-sensitive cameras, radiation detectors, and drug-sniffing dogs regularly uncover hidden contraband. Rapper Nelly and his entourage were just the latest to get nabbed there this past week. Chuck Berry must have been right when he said, "Get your kicks on Route 66." And steer clear of I-10.
1. NELLY
On Wednesday, October 11, rapper Nelly's tour bus was stopped while passing through the Sierra Blanca checkpoint. The search turned up 10 pounds of marijuana, 36 small bags of heroin, and a .45-caliber handgun. Nelly's bodyguard, Brian Keith Jones, took the rap for the offenses and has since pleaded not guilty. Nelly later chirped his disappointment on Twitter: "I'm not gone front I'm MAD as Hell about this," Nelly wrote, saying that the incident put his life at risk by an employee of more than 10 years, whom he considered family. "No excuses for wad he did!!!"
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2. FIONNA APPLE
Last month, Fiona Apple was arrested at the Sierra Blanca checkpoint after drug dogs turned up about four grams of marijuana and another four grams of hashish in a backpack that belonged to the singer. Apple admitted the drugs were hers and spent the night in jail before posting bail the following morning. The marijuana carries just misdemeanor charges, but in Texas, hashish-any amount-is a considered a felony.
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3. WILLIE NELSON
When country music superstar Willie Nelson was arrested in Sierra Blanca in 2010 for possession of roughly six ounces of marijuana, the Hudspeth County lead prosecutor suggested the singer settle his charges by performing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" for the court. Nelson copped to the charges and opted to pay a fine instead. The then-77-year-old singer also offered a few kind words of advice to other would-be Texas travelers: "Try going through Colorado. Skip that part of the country altogether...I would if I were a picker traveling right now."
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4. SNOOP DOGG
Snoop Dog was nabbed in Sierra Blanca earlier this year when drug dogs sniffed out about a half an ounce of pot in a prescription drug bottle in a wastebasket on his tour bus. Snoop conceded the pot was his and was issued a citation for misdemeanor drug possession...but not before deputies allegedly posed for pictures with the lanky rapper.
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5. ARMIE HAMMER
Armie Hammer was busted in Sierra Blanca last year when officers at the famed checkpoint found him in possession of a pot brownie, three pot cookies, and a small amount of regular old weed. As Hammer's offense was for less than the four ounces of weed it would take to make it a felony, the actor was booked at Hudspeth County Jail, paid a $1,000 fine, and was later released.