The Yuma County Attorney’s Office filed felony drug and weapons charges Friday against Lil Wayne.
The 25-year-old rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was charged in justice court in Wellton, Ariz., with one count each of possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
He is scheduled to appear Feb. 12 at a preliminary hearing.
Carter was in court, where a judge lifted a bail restriction prohibiting him from leaving the state. He was arrested after his tour bus was stopped in southern Arizona late Tuesday and is free on bail.
Carter’s lawyer, James Tilson, said his client was mostly staying positive, adding: “He is very concerned about the charges.”
Free to travel outside Arizona until his next hearing, Carter was on his way to perform in Richmond, Va., Friday night.
“He absolutely will be present at his next court date,” Tilson said.
Carter’s bus was stopped at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Dateland, Ariz., 78 miles east of Yuma. He was traveling with 11 other people.
Ramona Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration, said earlier that a Border Patrol canine unit alerted agents to the presence of illegal drugs on the bus. A search of the bus yielded nearly 4 ounces of marijuana, just over an ounce of cocaine, 41 grams of ecstasy and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia.
In October, Carter and several other rappers were named in a federal lawsuit filed by music publishing companies, accusing them of sampling other artists’ songs without paying licensing fees.
Birdman and Lil Wayne won a viewers’ choice award for their song “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” at Black Entertainment Television’s 2007 Hip-Hop Awards.