South African police officers say Paris Hilton was detained while in possession of marijuana

Police: Paris Hilton detained in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG — Paris Hilton was detained in the South African city of Port Elizabeth on Friday for possession of marijuana, two South African police officers said.

The officers spoke on condition of anonymity, since they were not authorized to release Hilton’s name before she appeared in court.

A spokeswoman for police at Port Elizabeth, Brig. Marinda Mills, declined to confirm the name, but said a high profile person was appearing in court.

“This person is appearing in court right now. We cannot reveal information about her until she has appeared in court. I am here with the individual in court, we’re waiting for the court to start,” Mills told the Associated Press.

Hilton’s Los Angeles-based publicist, Dawn Miller, said she was awaiting details from the court appearance before commenting.

A local radio station in Johannesburg said Hilton was detained outside the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium, following the quarterfinal match between Brazil and Netherlands.

A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Hilton was caught with an unspecified amount of marijuana.

“She was found in possession of some amount of dagga,” the 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,” he said.

Hilton pleaded no contest in 2007 to alcohol-related reckless driving and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. After spending about 23 days in jail, Hilton told Larry King that the experience caused her to re-evaluate the role partying played in her life. She said she wanted “to help raise money for kids and for breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.”

Investors for Hilton’s 2006 box-office bomb “Pledge This!” have been battling the heiress in federal court, claiming that she didn’t plug the film enough. Hilton, who testified last summer at a trial over the dispute, previously said that she was dissatisfied with the finished film, but she worked hard to make sure the college sorority romp succeed.

AP Entertainment reporter Derrik Lang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.