Celebrity

Instagram Model Arrested on Gun Charges

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Jayda Cheaves, an Instagram model who shares a child with rapper Lil Baby, was reportedly arrested on Monday, Sept. 27 when she tried to return to the U.S. from Jamaica. She was allegedly in possession of guns she had a license to carry in the U.S., but not in Jamaica. Cheaves confirmed she was approached by police with a TikTok video she also shared on Instagram. She is no longer in custody, as she later attended the BET Hip Hop Awards on Oct. 5.

Cheaves, who also uses the name Jayda Wayda on social media, was reportedly in Jamaica to celebrate her 24th birthday. She tried to leave the country on Sept. 27, but she and other members of her team were detailed by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), reports Urban Islandz. They were in possession of two guns, which they managed to get into Jamaica because she flew to the country on a private jet. The two weapons were reportedly 9mm pistols.

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Police told Urban Islandz that the weapons were licensed in the U.S., but not in Jamaica. “We ascertain that the two weapons were license and registered in the US, but not in Jamaica which is where the problem arises,” police told the outlet. Police sources said Chaeves and her friends were interviewed by police with their attorneys.

Cheaves must have been allowed to leave Jamaica a short time later. On Sept. 30, she posted a video on social media referring to the situation. “Act normal,” she wrote in the caption with a laughing emoji. “Me when they said they were about to lock me up,” she wrote in the video, which was set to a recording of someone asking another person to answer a question. Chaeves also went to the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta on Oct. 5.

Cheaves also made headlines last month for launching her own merch line, called Waydamin. The brand didn’t get off to a good start though, as one fan posted a video showing the Waydamin clothes didn’t fit and she could not return them, reports Hot New Hip Hop. There were enough complaints that Chaeves had to respond to them on her Instagram Story, accusing people of trying to tear down a business by focusing on the negative.

“The route y’all go to tear a business down is beyond me,” she wrote. “But it’s cool. The good most definitely outweighs the bad. And most of my customers are 100% satisfied & speak very highly of the quality we offer. Everything is not for everybody & I sell exactly what I’ve been promoting since the first time I mentioned my new line.”ย