Celebrity deejay and radio personality DJ Clue was arrested on drug- and traffic-related charges after police stopped him at a checkpoint in lower Manhattan Wednesday morning and found he was driving with a suspended license, law enforcement sources tell NBC 4 New York.
DJ Clue, whose real name is Ernesto Shaw, was driving a black Range Rover with New Jersey plates when he was stopped at the checkpoint on Varick Street at about 2 a.m.
Police checked his driving record and found the 38-year-old deejay was driving with a license that had been suspended eight times, according to law enforcement sources.
When police went to arrest him on the suspended license charge, they searched him and found three pills wrapped in foil, law enforcement sources said.
DJ Clue was taken into custody and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and aggravated unlicensed operator. He's expected to be arraigned in Manhattan court later Wednesday.
An e-mail sent to a representative was not immediately returned. Information on an attorney wasn't immediately available.
DJ Clue launched his career in the mid-'90s with signature mixtapes that were high-quality production and featured exclusive songs. One 1994 tape featured unreleased work by The Notorious B.I.G., accelerating his rise to fame.
DJ Clue joined Hot 97 as a radio personality in the late 1990s before releasing two major label releases via Rock-A-Fella/Def Jam. He later created his own label, Desert Storm, and left Hot 97 for Power 105.1.
