AIRPORT BUST

Eminent Playwright and Actor Arrested on Suspicion of Smuggling Drugs

Japan alleges 780 mg of ecstasy was found in a bag belonging to Jeremy O. Harris.

Tony-nominated playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris was arrested and remains in custody over an alleged MDMA smuggling attempt into Japan, according to the New York Times. Harris, 36, was detained on Nov. 16 at Okinawa’s Naha Airport after arriving from Taiwan, according to police in Tomigusuku, who oversee the airport, the outlet reported. Customs officials allege officers found 780 milligrams of the drug—also known as ecstasy—in his carry-on tote. The case was referred to prosecutors in Naha for suspected violations of the Customs Act. Prosecutors did not say if charges were filed, and police declined to say whether Harris admitted the allegations. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison. Representatives for Harris in the U.S. did not respond to the Times’s requests for comment. His work includes Slave Play, which received 12 Tony nominations in 2020, co-writing A24’s Zola, and also acting roles in Gossip Girl, Emily in Paris, and The Sweet East.