Willie Nelson cited for pot, narcotic mushrooms

Trooper smelled ‘strong odor of marijuana’ in singer's tour bus

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Willie Nelson busted for pot possession
Sept. 18: Louisiana State Police officer Willie Williams talks to MSNBC-TV's Rita Cosby about singer Willie Nelson being cited for misdemeanor drug possession.

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updated 10:37 p.m. ET Sept. 18, 2006

Willie Nelson and four others were issued misdemeanor citations for possession of narcotic mushrooms and marijuana after a traffic stop Monday morning on a Louisiana highway, state police said.

The citations were issued after a commercial vehicle inspection of the country music star’s tour bus, state police said in a news release.

“When the door was opened and the trooper began to speak to the driver, he smelled the strong odor of marijuana,” the news release said. A search of the bus produced 1½ pounds of marijuana and slightly more than three ounces of narcotic mushrooms.

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There were enough drugs to merit a felony charge of distribution if they had been found in one person’s possession, state police spokesman Willie Williams said. But all five claimed the drugs as their own and the drugs were not packaged for resale, so each was charged with misdemeanors, he said. All were released after the citations were issued.

Nelson’s publicist, Elaine Schock, said she would have no comment Monday.

Also cited were Tony Sizemore, 59, of St. Cloud, Fla.; Bobbie Nelson, 75, of Briarcliff, Texas; Gates Moore, 54, of Austin, Texas; and David Anderson, 50, of Dallas.

Nelson, 73, has recorded songs including “On the Road Again” and “City of New Orleans.”