Canadian rapper Hassan Ali, who goes by the stage name Top5, was one of the two men arrested by the Torento police and charged with several gun-related offenses on January 24, as per a news release by the Torento Police Service.
The rapper has been charged for careless storage of a firearm, weapon, prohibited device; possession of a weapon; unauthorized possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized; and possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition.
This isn't the rapper's first time being arrested, and he recently beat a murder case with Drake's help. The rapper was set free on September 23, after spending three years of custody, and took to celebrate his release by posting a photo of himself with his lawyer Gary Grill on Instagram. In the caption, the rapper thanked Drake, saying,
"Shoutout big bro @champagnepapi for the Lawyer Fees & Gary Grill for being the best lawyer in Toronto: #ALLAHUAKBAR"
He later went to edit the caption and removed the reference to Drake's Instagram account. The rapper allegedly released a music video from prison in 2023 where he rapped: "I was 18 when I bought a gun, 22 when I shot your son."
More about Top5's murder charges
Earlier, Top5 had been charged in the death of 20-year-old accounting student Hashim Omar Hashi in Toronto in 2021. The rapper was arrested in Windsor, Ontario, two weeks after the shooting and served three years in custody.
As per the Toronto Star, the rapper was initially charged with accessory after the fact, which later went on to upgrade to first-degree murder. The proceedings were halted in September 2024, before he was about to undergo trial.
The Crown (the prosecution in criminal cases in Canada) suspended the case against Ali after a judge disallowed Top5's social media posts to be used as evidence in the trial. The Crown earlier intended to use posts referring to the Go Getem Gang to link Ali to the murder as part of a gang rivalry act.
The police insinuated that they believed Hashi was wrongly targeted in a gang shooting.
The Canadian rapper's recent arrests come after Wack 100 implied that he was in possession of incriminating evidence against Top5 while advising Drake to stay clear from the rapper. While speaking to No Jumper, Wack mentioned,
"Drake needs to get away from Top5. He's bad news."
Wack went on to mention that Ali, with "his mouth and the things he says," does not support Drake's career and warned Drake that Ali will have him "hemmed up, caught up and cuffed up." Since his release in September, the rapper, while showing loyalty to Drake, threatened to shoot Kendrick Lamar for his beef against Drake.

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