Accused of trafficking nearly $2 million worth of marijuana from California to Georgia, Atlanta rapper Ralo was denied bond by a federal judge in his hearing Tuesday.
That decision could change, though. The judge says he will need additional clarification about whether Ralo is on probation in Fulton County or if it was dismissed before he can consider bond.
After the decision was announced, Ralo's record label representatives shared a statement with Atlanta's NBC affiliate 11Alive on Tuesday evening: "Ralo will maintain his plea of not guilty to today's charges. We ask for continued prayers and appreciate the outpouring of love from everyone, family and friends included. Ralo will continue to work to be the best artist and entertainer and community leader that he is. We hope that he will soon be released to complete his current show schedule."
Ralo has been reportedly charged with "two federal counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana" after authorities raided his private plane at the Peachtree-Dekalb Airport. The incident allegedly took place in December 2017, when investigators claim they tracked Ralo and his entourage after they returned to Georgia on a chartered flight. Later, one of the vans from his entourage was pulled over for driving without its lights on and authorities say they found over 500 pounds of marijuana inside. In April, Ralo's plane was raided by agents again, and they allegedly found 444 pounds of marijuana worth about $800,000. He was arrested along with eight other passengers.
Ralo's manager Queen says he is being targeted because of his music. She told 11Alive, “I feel like he is being targeted because of his song. Because of his lyrics. Because of his faith.”
![Ralo in Atlanta](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 203 115"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The rapper has also seen support from his local community. Crowds of supporters came out to rally behind him on Tuesday.