Drugs & Alcohol

"Mob Wives" star Drita D'Avanzo's husband just got swept up in a huge weed sting operation in New Jersey ... and he's facing two new drug charges.

Prosecutors in Jersey say they are charging Drita's hubby, Lee D'Avanzo, with fourth-degree conspiracy to possess marijuana and fourth-degree possession of marijuana in excess of 50 grams.

Lee is one of 24 people arrested as part of a yearlong investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics and Criminal Enterprise Unit. The sting, dubbed "Operation on The Ropes," uncovered what prosecutors say was a scheme to secretly convert legit candy, like Nerds Rope and Sour Patch, into illegal THC-infused products.

Authorities in Jersey say they executed over a dozen search warrants, resulting in the seizure of 21,000 packages of candy infused with suspected THC, plus another 1,100 lbs. of suspected marijuana and over 6,000 flavored THC vape cartridges.

All told ... officials say the drugs carried a street value of $1.9 million.

This is Lee's second round of drug charges in the past two months. As we reported, Lee and Drita were busted last month on a slew of guns and drug charges after NYPD raided their Staten Island home.

Blac Chyna's living wild and dangerously -- even in front of her kids -- according to Rob Kardashian ... who wants her parenting time reduced to just weekend days with a nanny present ... and some of the allegations include chasing people with knives.

Rob just filed new legal docs seeking primary custody of their 3-year-old daughter, Dream. He claims his baby mama is out of control, and people close to the situation can back it up ... including his sister, Khloe.

According to the docs ... Chyna regularly parties hard in her house with Dream present and invites strangers over to join her. Rob says she's drunk all the time, and a former employee of Chyna's alleges she spends $600 on alcohol almost daily and can down an entire bottle of Hennessy.

Chyna's accused of snorting cocaine and making violent threats to people in her home ... and getting physical by throwing objects, including knives and lit candles. One alleged incident involved Chyna hurling sharp objects at her hairdresser.

Rob claims Dream's behavior has changed for the worse -- along with her personal hygiene -- due to Chyna's parenting. He says Dream's started "naked twerking, and acting out sexual positions that she said her mom taught her." He says his daughter arrives to him with messy hair, dirty teeth and dirty nails.

Rob also claims Chyna's influence has resulted in Dream developing a potty mouth ... including saying "bitch" and "What the f**k?" Rob says these are not terms she hears at his home.

As for Khloe ... she claims in the docs that she's noticed a behavioral change in Dream at her play dates with her cousins. Khloe says when Dream first gets back from being with Chyna, she's "more in defense mode" and is "decidedly more aggressive."

NHL coach Jim Montgomery -- who was recently fired by the Dallas Stars -- says he's admitting himself into rehab after the "wake-up call" of losing his job.

50-year-old Montgomery got the ax in December over a mysterious incident that nobody seems to be talking about. But, whatever happened was so bad, the pro hockey team fired him with cause and voided the remaining 2.5 years on his contract.

Now, Montgomery is breaking his silence ... and while he's not explaining the actions that caused his termination, he claims he's had a break-through moment and realizes he needs help.

"Losing my job as head coach of the Dallas Stars last month was a wake-up call," Montgomery said ... "It was also the appropriate call."

"I let the team’s front office, staff and players down. More importantly, I let my wife and my family down."

"The team’s decision to end my role forced me to look into the mirror and decide whether I wanted to continue living a damaging lifestyle or get help. I decided to get help. I turned to professionals in the field of alcohol abuse for their guidance and counseling. It has been an overwhelming and a very humbling experience knowing that I am not alone."

He continued, "Today, with the unconditional support of my wife and family, and many close friends, I took another step forward by admitting myself into an inpatient residential program, where I intend to take the steps to be a better husband, father, friend, coach and mentor – one day at a time."

"It’s a process I am committed to. As I do this, I ask that my family’s privacy be respected. Thanks, Monty."

Sorry everyone, the tale of Eli Manning's secret network of "beer guys" who hooked him up on every road trip is simply BS ... so says Eli's ex-teammate, Rashad Jennings.

Jennings would know ... he was the Giants' starting running back from 2014 to 2016 and says he sat with Eli on the team bus during road trips.

So, when we saw RJ out in NYC this week, we had to ask about the claim made by ex-Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes that Eli "always drank beer on the team bus."

Tynes told ESPN ... Manning would find someone on the road to buy him beer, which he would share with some veterans while they discussed the game on the ride to the airport.

"It was unbelievable," Tynes said ... "He had a guy in every f**king stadium in the league to get him that beer."

But, Jennings says that just didn't happen during his 3-year run with the Giants -- telling TMZ Sports straight-up, "That's not a true story."

"You can't listen to everything that comes out of people's [mouths]," Jennings says ... "Especially when it's by pen."

"Did he have a beer guy at every single [stadium]? I don't know. I can tell that he wasn't on the plane or in the bus after every game because I sat beside him."

Jennings says he wouldn't have a problem with the story -- if it were true -- explaining that he likes the idea of Manning kicking back some brews with the boys. But, Jennings says that just didn't happen.

Jennings even made a joke that he wished Eli handed out gluten-free beer -- because Rashad keeps a strict gluten-free diet.

There is one possible explanation ... Tynes and Jennings never played on the same team. Tynes kicked for the Giants from 2007 to 2012. Is it possible Manning DID have a beer guy but stopped the tradition before 2014???

Nick Gordon had some sort of black fluid foaming out of his mouth when someone called 911 ... and he wasn't breathing.

TMZ has obtained the Florida dispatch audio and it raises questions about the cause of death.

The 911 call came in as "cardiac respiratory" on New Year's Day. As we reported, Nick was rushed to the hospital where he died.

A man claiming to be Nick's brother said Nick died of an apparent OD, and the "black stuff" could support that conclusion. Black discharge is sometimes related to a "foam cone" that comes out of the mouth and nostrils after an opioid OD.

The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy -- possibly Thursday -- and the toxicology results should be available in about 3 weeks.

TMZ broke the story ... Nick was present when Whitney Houston's daughter and his girlfriend -- Bobbi Kristina -- OD'd in a bathtub in 2015. He was found civilly liable for her death and the cops investigated him in connection with her death for years, but he was never charged, and the investigation was still ongoing when he died.

TMZ Sports has obtained police video from Errol Spence Jr.'s horrifying Ferrari crash which shows a cop scrambling to get a blood sample from the boxer while he was being treated at the hospital.

... plus, the footage also shows officers found a loaded, expensive handgun at the crash scene.

As we previously reported, Spence -- one of the best boxers in the world -- wrecked his Ferrari during an Oct. 10 crash that was captured on video.

It's a miracle the 29-year-old survived ... 'cause the car was ripped to shreds -- and the dude was EJECTED from the vehicle after impact.

Spence was immediately transported to a nearby hospital where investigators rushed to get a blood sample because they suspected Spence had been driving under the influence of alcohol.

Obviously, time is of the essence for a DUI-blood draw ... because the more time passes, the harder it is to determine the BAC at the time of the crash.

Spence's blood showed he WAS intoxicated ... and he has since been charged with DWI.

The good news ... we're told Spence is recovering well and is even expected to fight again in 2020.

Back to the crash scene ... the police body cam video shows responding officers surprised over a firearm they found at the scene -- which they note is a pretty expensive weapon.

You can hear the cops talking about the gun ... with one of the officers saying jokingly, "It's only a $1,000 gun!"

Errol was not hit with any legal issues over the weapon because a spokesperson for the Dallas Police Dept. tells us, essentially officers couldn't link it to the boxer.

The spokesperson added the firearm has since been placed in the department's property room.

DJ Paul says he and his rap group partners aren't pivoting away from talking drugs in their songs -- and to the kids who take their word as gospel ... he's telling 'em to wise up.

We ran into the Three 6 Mafia MC Monday at LAX -- this just a few days after his label mate, Juicy J, said T6M were hitting the road for a new tour in 2020 ... while, in the same breath, apologizing if he ever inspired anyone to do drugs in the wake of Juice WRLD's death.

DJP confirmed the gang was getting ready to head out on tour soon after a handful of shows this year, but on the subject of drugs ... he was less remorseful than Juicy was on Twitter.

According to Paul, people will do whatever they want regardless of whether a song hypes up drug use or not -- and, of course, Three 6 Mafia's no stranger to the topic in their music. Still ... DJ Paul says just 'cause T6M's talking about it, it doesn't count as a cosign, per se.

He actually acknowledges if one can stay off drugs ... that's obviously the best way to go. Our camera guy pushes back a bit though, noting the group does appear to glorify drugs, and by extension ... have probably nudged a lot of young fans in that direction as a result.

Check it out ... Paul fires back with a pretty interesting analogy to that argument, saying he sees a lot of his favorite actors doing crazy s**t on screen all the time. That doesn't mean he's about to start copying them out of sheer fandom, though -- hear that, kids?

Vic Mensa says rappers are doing serious harm when their lyrics promote lean, Percocet and Xanax abuse -- 'cause it's killing kids, in general, and specifically ... Juice WRLD.

We got Vic out at Delilah in WeHo and wanted his take on Lil Pump dropping "Drug Addicts" from his setlist at L.A.'s Rolling Loud Festival ... and instead opting for a tribute with Juice's hit single, "Lucid Dreams."

Vic gave a nod to Pump for the gesture, but he added hip-hop needs to take responsibility for Juice WRLD's death. He pulls no punches, saying rap lyrics glorifying drugs sends a dangerous message to fans ... especially young ones.

As we reported ... Juice WRLD died after allegedly swallowing a bunch of pills, and suffering a fatal seizure. Vic says Juice dying at 21 has impacted him to the point he's gonna rework his lyrics.

Rich Homie Quan is off the hook in his seemingly endless drug case.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the drug case against the rapper has been tossed. RHQ's lawyer, Lucy Bell, tells TMZ it was dismissed due to a lack of evidence. Bell says the "tiny amount of marijuana" was in somebody else's pocket and RHQ was wrongfully accused. We've reached out to prosecutors to confirm that ... so far, no word back.

TMZ broke the story ... Rich Homie Quan and his crew were busted back in May 2017 in Wadley, GA on suspicion of a stolen gun and drugs. A few days later, the weapons charge was dropped but he was booked on felony possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

If convicted, he faced up to THIRTY YEARS in prison. But, Homie don't play that .. lucky for him, the case was officially dropped after the judge signed off.

DaBaby is incensed at cops in Charlotte, North Carolina ... saying they were up to no good when they swarmed his car and busted him for weed.

DaBaby had just performed at the Bojangles' Coliseum Monday night, left the venue and got in his car in the parking lot when, according to him, 15 cops swarmed his vehicle, searched it and found weed.

The rapper clearly was not having it, because he was cited not just for weed possession but also for resisting an officer. He was not arrested ... just cuffed, cited and released.

DaBaby said afterward he was wrongfully targeted after cops received a "bogus" tip he had drugs and guns in the vehicle. The rapper said, "Every time. There's nobody when I pull up in the parking lot, the second I get out the car, 15 cops come around -- can I borrow your microphone?  ****** grabs mic ... shining it into the car windows ... they follow me, they pull us over for no reason."

Earlier in the day, DaBaby passed out hundreds of toys to poor families in the area.

Lil Wayne is being held up at an airport in Miami right now as federal agents search a plane he was a passenger on, but he's got legal help at the ready ... TMZ has confirmed.

Miami Herald broke the story ... Weezy was one of a few different people aboard a private jet Monday that was stopped by the feds after it landed at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. The paper says it was on its way to California after a stop in Florida.

For now, it doesn't appear anyone's been arrested for anything -- the Herald reports a search is currently underway and that Wayne and co. are being held at the airport. Per the outlet, agents got a tip on possible drugs being transported ... and obtained a search warrant.

One thing we do know for sure ... we're told Wayne -- who's a Miami resident -- has already contacted his lawyers in the area, and they're on the scene with him now.

Law enforcement sources also confirmed the details of Miami Herald's reporting.

MH also notes that if any arrests or charges stem from this ... it could mean someone's gonna be behind bars for Christmas. Apparently, the federal courts won't be open on Christmas Eve or Day, and the earliest a person's case could be heard would be Thursday.

That aside, the search echoes of one that recently ended in tragedy. Of course, we're talking about Juice WRLD ... who suffered a fatal seizure at an airport in Chicago 2 weeks ago.

Federal agents were also there waiting to search the private aircraft he was in, and we're told folks saw him ingest a number of unknown pills after realizing what was happening.

He later died after life-saving efforts were made on the spot.

Pete Davidson took many people aback on 'SNL' by seemingly announcing he was going to rehab for the holidays -- and if he's serious ... Alonzo Bodden has some advice.

We ran into the comic Sunday at LAX and asked him to weigh in on what appeared to be Pete implying he'd be checking into a rehab facility soon -- something he danced around on 'Weekend Update' without saying "rehab." It couldn't have been clearer though.

Alonzo -- who's a recovering alcoholic -- tells us he doesn't know Pete, but acknowledges there's usually more going on behind a person's public persona.

That said, he explains how rehab is different for everybody -- as no one goes in for just one thing. So long as whoever checks in gets the specific treatment they need for whatever their issue is, that's all that matters. If Pete falls into that category, AB wishes him the best.

As for whether going public with the potential rehab stint is a good idea, Alonzo's got some thoughts there as well. He says it's a double-edged sword, which can pay off big time.

"You hunted my ass. F**k you!"

That's what racing legend Al Unser Jr. told a police officer during a DUI arrest in May -- right after he drunkenly fell down a hill in a wild arrest captured on video.

Unser -- who won the Indy 500 twice -- was pulled over in Avon, Indiana on May 20 when an officer saw him speeding and swerving all over the highway around 1:12 AM.

During the stop, the 57-year-old gets out of his car barefoot and smoking a cigarette -- and the officer immediately notices the smell of booze from both Unser and the car. Unser claims he reeks because he was "kissing on a girl" just 5 minutes before.

As the officer asks Unser to walk toward the sidewalk and out of the street, the racing legend stumbles over a curb and falls down an embankment.

The officer helps Unser up -- but Al is pissed off and accuses the cop of "hunting" for him that night ... just so he could pull over a famous person.

Once he gets cuffed and put in the cruiser, Al really gets mad -- dropping F-bomb after F-bomb after F-bomb ... while taunting the cop for the way he's driving.

At one point, a rambling, babbling Unser makes a comment about "shooting" cops -- to which the officer replies, "Are you saying you want to shoot cops?"

Unser sort of explains that he meant the cops were TREATING him like someone who wants to shoot cops.

When the officer informs Unser he's going to jail for DUI, the racing legend begins to LAUGH MANIACALLY ... and then says, "Thank you very much you motherf**ker!"

Unser was eventually charged with DUI, improper lane change and speeding and was facing up to a year behind bars. But, he cut a sweet deal with prosecutors in August where he pled guilty to DUI and the remaining charges were dropped.

He was sentenced to 363 days of probation, 480 hours of community service and he must complete a victim impact panel, where he discusses the perils of drunk driving.

Al's driver's license was also suspended for a year from the date of the arrest.

The craziest part about the whole incident ... the arresting officer told Unser at the start of the arrest that he was a RACING FAN and seemed like he wanted to help Unser, not drop the hammer on him.

This wasn't Al's first DUI -- he was arrested in 2007 and 2011 and has talked publicly about his battles with alcohol.

Here's a shocker ... Al Harrington is STOKED that weed is now legal in MLB, telling TMZ Sports it's about time baseball players can LEGALLY use pot to treat pain.

The former NBA player is a HUGE marijuana advocate -- he even has his own Viola cannabis company -- and has met with powerful figures (like ex-NBA commish David Stern) in the hopes of ending the weed ban in major pro sports.

So, when Major League Baseball finally removed weed from its list of banned substances, Harrington called it a "beautiful thing" that will make the sport safer.

"Athletes should have access to cannabis as an alternative way to medicate and for pain management across the board," Harrington says.

One of the motivating factors in MLB's decision is the death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs --  who died from an overdose of painkillers -- fentanyl and oxycodone.

The logic is that if Skaggs could have used marijuana, he might not have used opioids.

"Mob Wives" star Drita D'Avanzo and her husband got one helluva surprise when NYPD raided their home and arrested them on a slew of guns and drug charges ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Drita and her hubby, Lee, were arrested Thursday night in their Staten Island home after cops executed a search warrant that uncovered two loaded firearms, a Smith & Wesson 9mm and an S&W 38 caliber gun. Cops say they also found 120 pills of hydrocodone/acetaminophen, 22 Xanax pills and a large amount of weed.

The couple was booked on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of marijuana, criminal possession of a firearm and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.

Drita and Lee were booked on 1 count of acting in a manner injurious to a child because law enforcement sources tell us one of the couple's kids was in the house at the time of the raid.

Aaron Carter was visited by cops and paramedics after someone called to report the singer had suffered an overdose ... but it turned out to be a false alarm.

Law enforcement sources tell us they got a call to Aaron's California home Wednesday night for a possible overdose. Officers arrived on scene shortly after 8 to check on Aaron. We're told they made their way into his bedroom, after no one answered the door ... and determined he was fine and had just fallen asleep.

Just before the call, Aaron was doing a live stream with fans and apparently dozed off ... prompting viewers to call the cops. You can hear law enforcement wake Aaron up and determine he was alright.

The incident is among a stream of issues the singer has had over the last few months -- including multiple restraining orders filed by his family members -- including his Backstreet Boys brother, Nick Carter.

We've reached out to Aaron and his family for comment ... so far, no word back.