Playwright Jeremy O. Harris freed in Japan three weeks after ecstasy smuggling arrest
The American writer and actor, held since Nov. 16 over a small amount of MDMA found at Okinawa's Naha Airport, was released from police custody on Monday, police said.
By Jacob Leary ·
American playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris has been released from custody in Japan, about three weeks after he was arrested on suspicion of smuggling the drug ecstasy, according to Japanese police.
The Tomishiro police department told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the 36-year-old Harris was freed on Monday. Police declined to say whether he had been released on bail or whether he had since left Japan.
Harris, best known for the Tony-nominated play "Slave Play," was detained on Nov. 16 by officers at Naha Airport on the southern island of Okinawa. He was arrested for an alleged violation of customs law after officials said they found 0.78 grams (0.0275 ounces) of crystallized MDMA, the drug also called ecstasy, in a container inside a tote bag he was carrying.
Customs officials said Harris had left London's Heathrow Airport two days earlier and passed through Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport before landing in Naha for sightseeing. He was arrested at the airport and placed in the custody of Tomishiro police, who referred the case to prosecutors for further investigation and a possible indictment.
It remains unclear where the case now stands. The Naha District Public Prosecutors Office would not confirm whether the matter has been dropped or is still under investigation. Representatives for Harris in the United States did not respond to AP requests for comment on Tuesday.
Under Japanese criminal procedure, investigators may hold a suspect for up to 23 days before an indictment is required.
Harris made his name with "Slave Play," which he wrote while a graduate student at the Yale School of Drama. The work drew controversy for its provocative treatment of race, class and sexual taboos when it opened off-Broadway in 2018. It received a Tony nomination for best play the following year but did not win.
His other credits include a cameo as himself on a rebooted "Gossip Girl" and a role as coproducer on several episodes of HBO's "Euphoria." He also appeared in "Emily in Paris."
Source: New York Daily News
