KEY POINTS:
US rapper Snoop Dogg entered a surprise no-contest plea to gun and drug charges and was given a three-year suspended sentence.
The 35-year-old rap star was also sentenced to five years of formal probation and ordered to perform 800 hours of community service.
The singer was expected in court for an arraignment on charges of sale or transportation of marijuana and possession of a gun by a convicted felon, which could have landed him behind bars for up to four years if convicted at a trial.
