Arabic version: مغني الراب كتب إلى قاضٍ طالبًا الكفالة لعامل من طاقم الجولة

A US musician personally wrote to a UK court asking for an arrested man to be released on bail so he could work on the artist’s European tour, and offered to cover the cost himself.

According to BBC News, the letter, signed by Curtis Jackson (known professionally as 50 Cent), asked a judge to vary bail conditions to allow Abdirahiim Hassan to play a “critical operational role” on the Legacy Tour. The rapper said Hassan managed food and beverage operations and represented his Sire Spirit brand on several dates, and offered £50,000 for bail; the judge refused the application.

Hassan, 37, was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine and possession of criminal property and was jailed for 18-and-a-half years at Derby Crown Court. He was one of 10 men sentenced as part of Operation Daybreak; prosecutors described him as “substantially involved in national-level cocaine trafficking.” Detectives said Hassan had deposited £150,000 in cash into his bank account between 2022 and 2025 and that police found £22,500 in heat-sealed bags at his home. Harminder Purewal, who was sourcing large consignments of drugs for organised crime groups supplying wholesale quantities to dealers, was jailed for 20 years.

The case drew attention because a high-profile intervention intersected with a wide-ranging drugs investigation. Police described Hassan’s role as money-laundering and part of national-level trafficking. Detectives told the BBC they were “shocked” when the letter arrived; the defence team later submitted photos and videos that showed Hassan on private jets and at US tour dates.

What happens next: Hassan was sentenced to 18-and-a-half years in prison and the court heard mitigation letters from the musician, who said he had known and worked with Hassan for many years and that employment would be available on release.

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