American Playwright and Actor Jeremy O. Harris Arrested in Japan for Suspected Ecstasy Trafficking

America’s best-known stage actor and actor, Jeremy O. Harris, known for the Tony-Canevated “Play,” has been arrested in Japan on suspicion of drug-trafficking, officials said Saturday.

Officials at Naha Airport on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa arrested Harris on Nov. 16 to find a violation of crystallized grams, according to a container in a tote bag, according to a spokesman for the Okinawa region.

Harris, 36, had left London Heathrow Airport two days earlier and had been transferred to Taiwan International Airport before arriving in Naha to meet, Fukuda said. Okinawa is a popular vacation destination with mild weather all year round.

Fukuda said Harris was arrested on the spot by Tomishiro police, who filed a criminal complaint with the Naha district office on Thursday for further investigation and possible charges. CBS News reached out to Tomishiro Police for further comment.

Japanese authorities found no other drugs in his luggage and believed that MDMA was present. They are still investigating, Fukuda said, adding that whether Harris made any comment on the case could not be released.

There was no immediate comment from Harris’ representatives. Harris has not publicly commented on his arrest.

CBB News has reached out to the US Embassy in Japan for more answers.

Japanese criminal procedures allow investigators to hold a suspect in custody for up to 23 days before charges are filed, and virtual detention can be released for time to remain silent or contest the charges,”

Those found guilty of drug trafficking in Japan can face separate prison terms.

Harris burst onto the scene with “Cekumba Play,” written while a graduate student at the Yale School of Drama. Set Off-Broady in 2018, it sparked controversy and calls for the production to be banned for its mix of race, class and sexuality. It moved to Broadway the following year, receiving a Tony nomination for best play, but it did not win an award.

Play returned to a shorter run on the river in December 2021.

“There haven’t been enough opportunities to show who we are to the world and ourselves and reflect on what that means,” Harris said. CBS New York in 2021.

In addition to a few roles of use of materials, he rose as the times of the renewed “and served as a producer for several episodes of the series HBO’s Hit” euphoria. “.”