Paris Hilton detained in South Africa for alleged possession of marijuana

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Paris Hilton has been tweeting regularly about how much she’s enjoying her visit to South Africa for the World Cup, professing her love for South Africa three times and for the tournament and life in general once each.

Her next Twitter update might not be so upbeat.

Hilton was detained in the South African city of Port Elizabeth on Friday on suspicion that she was in possession of marijuana, according to two South African police officers speaking on condition of anonymity since they were not authorized to release her name before she appears in court.

[Updated, 8:06 p.m.: South African authorities have dropped their case against Hilton. Another woman who was originally detained along with Hilton pleaded guilty to possessing marijuana, according to South African police. The woman, former Playboy Playmate Jennifer Rovero, was ordered by a judge to pay a fine or spend 30 days in jail. It is believed the two women left the courthouse together in a white van.]

A Johannesburg radio station said Hilton was detained outside the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium after the quarterfinal match between Brazil and the Netherlands.

‘She was found in possession of some amount of dagga,’ a police officer said, using the local name for marijuana. ‘We don’t know how much. It’s a high-profile person; only the top cops are dealing with it.’

You can read more about this on our Ministry of Gossip blog.

-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.