The acclaimed playwright and actor has been in custody since last month, with customs officers just recently referring his case to prosecutors
Acclaimed playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris was arrested in Japan last month after customs officers at an airport allegedly found Ecstasy in his bag, The New York Times reports.
Harris — best known for his 2018 drama Slave Play— has been in custody on the southern island of Okinawa since Nov. 16 on suspicion of attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into Japan. But it was only on Thursday (Dec. 4) that customs officials officially referred Harris to prosecutors in the capital of Naha to begin formal charging proceedings.
A representative for Harris did not immediately return a request for comment.
Harris was arrested after arriving in Okinawa from Taiwan. During a bag search at Naha Airport, customs officers reportedly found 780 milligrams of MDMA in Harris’ carry-on tote bag. He was arrested on the spot on suspicion of violating Japan’s Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Acts. Police in Tomigusuku, just outside Naha, confirmed Harris remains in custody, but couldn’t say if he’d admitted to the allegations against him.
Japan has famously strict anti-drug laws, and Harris could face up to seven years in prison if convicted. (In 1980, Paul McCartney was arrested in Tokyo after flying into the country with 7.7 ounces of marijuana in his luggage; the former Beatle only spent nine days in prison, though, before being released.)
Slave Play garnered 12 Tony nominations and immediately turned Harris into a sensation. While he’s continued to write for the stage and screen — he co-wrote the 2021 film Zola and worked on Euphoria Season Two — he’s also taken up several acting roles, too. He portrayed himself on the reboot of Gossip Girl, had a recurring part on Emily in Paris, co-starred in The Sweet East, and acts alongside Charli XCX in Pete Ohs’ upcoming film, Erupcja.
