Moroccan rapper in custody after cannabis row

Popular Moroccan rapper ElGrande Toto was taken into custody on Monday evening, the AFP news agency reports quoting a judicial source.

It followed complaints filed against him for public statements he made about using cannabis.

The rapper, who has a big following in the country, is reported to have told journalists last month that “I smoke hash – so what?… It does not mean I set a bad example”.

His comments sparked an outcry in Morocco, and the 26-year-old was on Thursday forbidden from leaving Casablanca and was also summoned by the police, AFP reports

A prosecutor late on Monday placed Taha Fahssi, ElGrande Toto’s real name, in custody after complaints were filed by “three artists, a journalist, and a policeman”, the news agency quoted the judicial source as saying.

He was taken into custody a day after apologising for his comments.