Meek Mill wasn’t in jail for one single new “big crime,” but mainly for repeatedly violating a long, strict probation that came from an old gun and drug case when he was a teenager.

Quick Scoop

  • His jail time traces back to a 2007 arrest in Philadelphia on gun and drug charges, which led to a conviction and a sentence of prison plus about eight years of probation.
  • Over the years, he was found in violation of probation several times for things like:
    • Traveling for shows without the judge’s explicit permission.
* Failing a drug test (Percocet) and other technical probation issues.
  • In 2017, after two relatively minor incidents (a dirt bike “wheelie” in New York and an airport scuffle where charges were dropped), the judge still ruled he had violated probation and sentenced him to 2–4 years in state prison.
  • Both the prosecutor and his probation officer had recommended no prison time, but the judge went ahead with the sentence anyway, which sparked a huge public outcry and made his case a symbol of how harsh and fragile probation can be.

What actually put him behind bars?

Think of Meek’s situation as a long chain reaction starting from that first conviction.

  1. Original case (mid‑2000s)
    • Arrested on multiple gun and drug charges after a police raid in Philadelphia.
 * Judge Genece Brinkley found him guilty on several counts and gave him prison time plus many years of probation.
  1. Years of probation problems
    • He had to get permission for touring and travel, stick to strict reporting rules, and pass drug tests.
 * He was jailed in 2014 for traveling without proper approval and a positive Percocet test, then hit with even more years of probation.

 * In 2015–2016 he was again accused of missing reports, breaking travel rules, and giving a suspicious urine sample, which led to house arrest and more extended probation instead of freedom.
  1. 2017 violations and 2–4 year sentence
    • While still on this extended probation, he:
      • Was charged over popping a wheelie on a dirt bike in New York (a traffic-type case), and
      • Was involved in an airport altercation where charges were later dropped.
 * Even though those cases were minor and/or dropped, the judge said they were violations of his probation terms and sentenced him to 2–4 years in prison.

So, when people ask “why was Meek Mill in jail,” the precise answer is:

He was jailed for probation violations tied to an old gun and drug conviction, not for a brand‑new serious crime; technical violations like travel issues and those later minor incidents were used to send him back to prison.

Why his case became a big deal

  • The sentence felt excessive to many because even the prosecution and probation office did not push for prison; they suggested no jail time, but the judge still gave 2–4 years.
  • Fans, activists, and other artists saw it as proof of how easy it is for someone on probation to be sent back to prison for relatively small or “technical” slip‑ups.
  • After serving about five months of that sentence, Meek was released on bail in 2018 and later resolved the case by pleading guilty to a single gun charge, ending more than a decade of legal battles.

Mini timeline (forum-style)

2007: Arrested on gun/drug charges → convicted → prison + long probation.

2014: Jailed for a few months for violating probation (travel, drug test, behavior on probation).

2015–2016: More violations alleged → house arrest + probation extended again.

2017: Dirt bike stunt + airport incident while still on probation → judge gives 2–4 years in prison.

2018: Released after about five months; case later closed with a plea to one gun count.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.