Madonna's 16-Year-Old Son Rocco Ritchie Was Arrested for Weed Possession

UPDATE: Madonna has released a statement regarding the news of her 16-year-old son, Rocco Ritchie, getting arrested in September for weed possession. Calling the incident a “family matter,” the singer tells Associated Press (via ABC News), “I love my son very much. I will do whatever I can to give him the support that he needs, and I ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

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It looks like Rocco Ritchie ran into some trouble recently, but managed to keep it under wraps for nearly two months.

E! News confirms that Madonna‘s 16-year-old son was arrested in September for possession of weed following a stop and search by officers from Camden borough. The Metropolitan Police tell us Ritchie was taken to a north London police station, and was subsequently bailed and dealt with by Camden borough’s Youth Offending Team.

Authorities add that Ritchie was dealt with by way of Triage, which uses multiple strands to engage and educate young people in order to prevent re-offending.

Ritchie, who currently lives with father Guy Ritchie, was reportedly called on by the neighbors who were bothered by what they believed was drug use in their upscale neighborhood, according to TMZ.

The report continues to state that after coming across Rocco and a friend sitting on the wall and tossing something into the air, they found a small quantity of weed in his backpack and traces on his clothing.

Unfortunately, Rocco has been in the middle of a very public and ugly custody battle between his famous parents.

The battle ignited in December when Rocco refused to return to the United States after living with his director father in London. While a New York Supreme Court judge ruled at the time that the teenager should return home to his mom, Ritchie’s lawyer chimed in to say that Rocco didn’t want to come back. The judge then suggested that the teen take up his concerns with his mom. 

Little progress seems to have been made, and tension between the mother and son have been palpable in the months over the custody battle, however Madge continues to make subtle pleas to her son on her own account with nostalgic shots of him in all phases of his life. 

—Reporting by Holly Passalaqua

Originally published on Nov. 22, 2016, at 6:03 p.m. PST.