Dancehall artiste Squash, who was arrested on February 25 and held at the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office for gun possession, will now have to defend himself in federal court after local charges were dropped.

The criminal case against Squash in Miami-Dade County was officially closed on Wednesday, June 5, after presiding judge Ariel Rodriguez granted the prosecution’s request to discontinue proceedings. At the time, Squash was in the middle of an arraignment hearing.

That hearing was abruptly halted when federal prosecutors intervened and announced their intention to take over the case.

Squash had pleaded not guilty on March 26 and requested a jury trial. Under US law, an arraignment is the first step in determining whether felony charges will proceed to trial.

Now, that trial appears set to take place at the federal level.

The original local charges—possession of a modified firearm and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit—have been officially dropped. They’ve been replaced with two federal charges:

• One count of being an alien in possession of a firearm or ammunition
• One count of unlawful possession of a machine gun

Both charges carry significantly harsher penalties. Each can result in up to 10 years in prison, and both carry mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years if the accused has prior convictions. A conviction for being an alien in possession of a firearm could also lead to deportation.

Squash’s legal troubles began in February when court and arrest records indicated that a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation had observed him receiving what appeared to be a firearm. When Squash and another man, identified as Zidanne George Prescott, were stopped by police and consented to a vehicle search, officers found a modified Glock pistol in the glove compartment on the passenger side, where Squash had been sitting.

Squash remains behind bars at the Federal Detention Centre in Miami.