Yesterday morning, customs officials at Fukoka airport arrested American DJ David Morales in Japan on suspicion of drug smuggling. They claimed to have discovered tiny traces of MDMA in his suitcase during a search.
Authorities accuse the 56-year-old Grammy-award winner of smuggling 0.3 grams of the Ecstasy into the country. They found the granules in his carry on suitcase when he arrived from Hong Kong on Saturday.
“He was arrested for allegedly violating the law on narcotics and psychotropics control,” a police spokesman told AFP.
Japanese newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun, reports Morales is denying any allegations to this claim. Even given the physical evidence found, the DJ told police the drug did not belong to him. That someone had likely slipped them into his case. So who did it? Who do we believe? This could possibly be the next biggest Japan drug bust since they Paul McCartney for a bag of marijuana.
David is an influential figure in dance music. He is one of the first so-called superstar DJs. He headlined at clubs worldwide during his career. His hundreds of remixes and productions for iconic figures like Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, U2 and Whitney Houston earned him his present status. Makes sense why a scandal like this should be kept hush hush.
Morales stopped at the southern Japanese island of Kyushu because he wanted to meet with the event organizers of his Tokyo performance. It was scheduled for Saturday. A guilty mind has no accuser, though let that be up to the accused. Japan has a strict zero tolerance policy on drugs and alcohol. Penalties lead to jail time or fines; a celebrity is not always above reproach.
No further information revealed on the situation. We know the life of an artist is hard. Looks like it’s out of his hands and into Japan’s.
