Fetty Wap faced the music in court on Wednesday and was sentenced to six years in federal prison for his role in a nationwide drug program.
A Central Islip judge in Long Island, New York, handed down the sentence after the rapper pleaded guilty in August 2022, to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances.
As he waited to find out how long he would spend in jail, the New Jersey entertainer, born Willie Junior Maxwell II, apologized for his crimes.
“I hurt my community, people who look up to me, my family and myself. I’m so sorry for the pain I caused,” he said in court Wednesday via NBC News.
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The “Trap Queen” singer’s legal troubles began when he was arrested at the Rolling Loud festival in Queens, New York in 2021.
He was one of six men charged with allegedly participating in a scheme to transport large quantities of narcotics from the West Coast to New Jersey and New York.
Four of the men have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. One defendant, who worked as a corrections officer in New Jersey, was sentenced to 72 months in prison in March.
Prosecutors said the defendants used the U.S. Postal Service and drivers with hidden compartments in their vehicles to transport cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, for sale on the streets of the East Coast.
Before accepting a plea deal last August, the 31-year-old artist faced life in prison if the case goes to trial and if he is convicted.
Following the guilty plea, his lawyers requested the minimum sentence of five years in prison, but prosecutors sought a longer sentence.
After learning that the rapper would receive six years behind bars, his lawyer expressed his frustration.
“It’s a sad day,” defense attorney Elizabeth Macedonio said. “He was a kid from Paterson, New Jersey who got away with it.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors said the rapper committed the crime and should serve his sentence.
“Defendant did sell drugs,” Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Caffarone said.
Prior to the drug case, Fetty Wap had previous arrests for assault, drunk driving and drag racing in New York City.
The hip-hop star shot to fame in 2015, after his debut single ‘Trap Queen’ peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.