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“She Had a Mars Bar Where?” Rolling Stones Redlands Bust
When Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones were arrested on drug charges at Richards’ home, Redlands, on February 12, 1967, many believed that the two rock stars were victims of a set-up.
Turns out, they were right.
The raid on Redlands was one of the most celebrated drug arrests of the 1960s. It began when the infamous British tabloid “News of the World” received a “tip” regarding a fortuitous time for the police to pay Keith’s house a visit. The paper then negotiated a price for the information with local law enforcement.
Why did the Establishment go to such lengths attempting to hamstring the Rolling Stones? Easy. The Stones were swanning around in posh mansions that belied their working-class backgrounds and flaunting their decadent lifestyles. In short, they were flipping the Establishment the bird every chance they got.
Ergo, in the class-conscious Great Britain of the 1960s, the Stones needed to be put in their place. Firmly. Permanently.
On the evening in question, Keith, his friend, art dealer Robert Fraser, Mick, and his girlfriend singer Marianne Faithfull, along with a drug dealer called “Acid King” (AKA Sniderman, Schneiderman or Schneidermann — take your pick) were hanging out, winding down from the day and listening to music.
George Harrison and his wife Patti were also present earlier in the day but as George himself wryly noted, British law enforcement wasn’t ready to come after the M.B.E-toting Fabs quite yet.
The nice, relaxing vibe ended abruptly when 18 policemen showed up at the door(to Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12&35” no less, much to the Lord of the Manor’s amusement.)
Mad buzzkill.
After the inevitable search, Jagger was charged with possession of four tablets of amphetamines, and Richards was charged with “allowing his house to be used for the purpose of smoking cannabis.” Both were later acquitted after a circus-like trial. (Fraser served a six-month sentence for heroin possession.)
Amazingly, the police agreed not to search Acid King’s briefcase, which was stuffed to bursting with LSD and other choice illegal substances. When he told the detectives it…
