Bobby Shmurda pleads not guilty to guns, drugs and conspiracy charges
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Version 0 of 1. Bobby Shmurda, the rap sensation of 2014, has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including consipracy to commit murder, drugs and guns offences. Between them, the rapper and 12 other members of his GS9 crew face a total of 69 charges, with two men accused of murder. Shmurda – real name Ackquille Pollard – was arrested by New York police on 17 December after he left a Manhattan recording studio, when they found crack cocaine and two handguns in the car he was travelling in. The investigation widened out to take in the rest of the GS9 crew, and police seized 21 guns. The full list of charges is here. The evidence against Shmurda includes phone conversations between him and gang members imprisoned at Riker’s Island, which police had recorded. The hearings in Manhattan supreme court on Thursday lasted three and a half hours, with Shmurda’s lawyer arguing that bail of $2m (£1.3m) was excessive, but the claim was rejected. He also dismissed the idea that GS9 was a criminal gang with Shmurda at its head. “There’s nothing about a hierarchy about this alleged gang,” said Kenneth Montgomery. Shmurda’s next court date is 22 April, but he faces other gun-related legal problems. He is also facing a gun possession charge in Brooklyn, relating to an incident in June 2014, when police found a gun on him after obtaining a warrant. It was reported earlier this week that the charge was being dismissed, but XXL reports that is not the case. Shmurda became a star in 204 thanks to his song Hot Nigga, whose video featured the “Shmoney dance”, which went viral. |