Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Pays $500 Fine

Former Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar surrendered a small amount of marijuana to U.S. Customs officials at a Canadian airport on Sunday and paid a $500 civil fine, a Customs Service spokesman said Friday.

Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's career leading scorer, told Customs officers at Toronto's Pearson International Airport that he has migraines and "doctors recommended him using this," said Pat Jones, a Customs spokesman in Washington, D.C.

Abdul-Jabbar's office in Los Angeles referred inquiries to the Customs Service. There was no comment from the retired basketball star.

The Customs spokesman said the seizure was handled as an administrative rather than criminal matter and there was no arrest. Canadian police, however, said he was arrested.

Regional Police Inspector David Price, contacted Friday by The Canadian Press, confirmed a Toronto Sun report that Abdul-Jabbar was arrested but not charged.

"He was arrested by members of Peel Regional Police," Price said.

The Sun said the marijuana amounted to six grams.

It was found as Abdul-Jabbar was about to fly from Toronto to Los Angeles. The U.S. Customs Service has a "pre-clearance" operation at some Canadian airports.

"We have these drug-sniffing dogs and one of them smelled something on Kareem," Jones said. "He talked to one of our inspectors and was very cooperative and he volunteered that he had a minuscule amount of marijuana on him."

Abdul-Jabbar turned over the marijuana and a penalty of $500 was levied.

"He had to pay that, and it's a civil matter, not criminal, and that was that," Jones said.

Regional Police Supt. Blair Foley told the Sun that Abdul-Jabbar was released without condition, but his name was entered into Canadian and U.S. police computers.

"My understanding is that local police have the option of arresting him and they said no," Jones said. "They let us handle it, deal with it the way we deal with all of these cases of people with tiny amounts of marijuana. We dealt with it administratively."

The marijuana seizure will have no impact on the resolution of a misdemeanor battery case that had been brought against Abdul-Jabbar in Los Angeles.

Mike Qualls, spokesman for the city attorney's office, said that because the case was settled through a process called "civil compromise," Abdul-Jabbar is not on probation.

A Municipal Court commissioner dismissed charges Thursday after ruling that Abdul-Jabbar had complied with orders to complete 36 hours of anger management counseling and pay $5,000 to a youth program.

The case involved a motorist who accused Abdul-Jabbar of attacking him after an April 20, 1997, traffic dispute. The men settled a civil lawsuit in December. Mike Qualls, spokesman for the city attorney's office, said that because the case was settled hrough a process called "civil compromise," Abdul-Jabbar is not on probation.

The case involved a motorist who accused Abdul-Jabbar of attacking him after an April 20, 1997, traffic dispute. The men settled a civil lawsuit in December.

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