The Beatles had a squeaky-clean image compared to some of the other bands in the 1960s, but they were still arrested more than once. For the most part, they, like many other bands at the time, faced arrest for drug possession. While several members of The Beatles landed in legal trouble, one person was arrested far more times than the others.
Paul McCartney and Pete Best were arrested for arson
In the pre-Beatlemania days, the band played a residency in Hamburg, Germany. When authorities found out George Harrison wasn’t old enough to be working in the country, they deported him. That night, Paul McCartney and one-time Beatles drummer Pete Best decided to move their belongings out of the place where they were staying. Needing light and finding themselves without a flashlight, they decided that the best course of action was to light a condom on fire and nail it to the wall.
Club owner Bruno Koschminder went to the police and accused them of trying to burn the place down. The authorities held McCartney and Best in jail overnight and then deported them.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono landed in trouble drugs
In 1968, John Lennon and Yoko Ono were staying at Ringo Starr’s apartment when the police raided it for drugs. A friend had previously tipped them off, so they had cleared out the apartment, but dogs still found cannabis. Lennon and Ono were subsequently arrested for possession.
George Harrison and Pattie Boyd believed police planted drugs to arrest them
One year later, Harrison found himself in a similar predicament. His wife, Pattie Boyd, called Harrison home when police knocked on their door with dogs asking to search the home.
Harrison came home, furious, but wasn’t able to stop them. He claimed that police had planted the drugs they found in his shoes and used it to arrest him.
“I’m a tidy man,” he said in 1969, per Cosmic Magazine. “I keep my socks in the sock drawer and stash in the stash box. It’s not mine.”
Paul McCartney got in trouble for drugs for the first time in 1972
In 1972, McCartney became the third Beatle to be arrested for possession of drugs. While in Sweden with his band, Wings, McCartney, his wife Linda, and drummer Denny Seiwell were all arrested for possession of cannabis.
Per The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Breakup, police arrested them after a performance and questioned them about marijuana that customs intercepted. Each was fined but did not face jail time.
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Paul McCartney’s gardening habits landed him in legal trouble
In 1973, McCartney once again found himself on the wrong side of the law because of drugs. He went to trial for growing marijuana on his farm in Scotland. He claimed he grew the plants because he received seeds from a fan and hadn’t questioned what type of plant it was. McCartney and Linda both received fines of £100, and he admitted he was relieved it hadn’t been worse.
“I must admit though, I did expect my fine to be worse,” he said, adding, “I was planning on writing a few songs in jail.”
Paul McCartney nearly faced serious charges in Japan
Seven years later, McCartney actually did go to jail for possession of drugs. He arrived in Tokyo on tour, and a customs agent discovered half a pound of marijuana in his bag. He was in possession of enough of the drug that he could have faced smuggling charges and up to seven years in prison.
“It was very stupid!” he said. “We’d been in America and the attitude to drugs over there is very different and it led me to take a real casual approach.”
Ultimately, he only spent nine days in jail, which he attributed to his level of celebrity.
Paul McCartney proved he didn’t learn his lesson in Barbados
McCartney didn’t exactly learn his lesson from his stint in jail. In 1984, police in Barbados arrested both him and Linda for possession of marijuana. McCartney admitted his guilt, and he and Linda paid a fine.
“Paul is a very talented and creative person,” his lawyer, David Simmons, said. “People who have this talent sometimes need inspiration.”
With all this, McCartney cemented his place as the Beatle with the most arrests.
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