All The Times The Beatles Were Arrested

Stars are often associated with scandals and rumors that can ruin their reputation, and The Beatles were no exception to that. It’s easy to dig dirt on them, what with them being one of the most popular bands in the 60s. But unlike their Rolling Stones contemporaries, theirs was just a little brush-up on marijuana and attempted arson. Here’s a timeline of all the documented arrests of the Fab Four.

November 29, 1960: Attempted Arson of Pete Best and Paul McCartney

Before the Beatles became big, they’ve been pretty much a couple of troublemakers. After the owner of Kaiserkeller club in Germany terminated the band’s contract, Best and McCartney later burned a wall as they were creating a makeshift candle from an unknown object, shocking the owner who called the police afterward. They left Germany the next day.

October 18, 1968: John Lennon’s alleged possession of Cannabis

Sergeant Norman Pilcher is a name most acquainted with drug busts from several stars including the Stones, Beatles, and Donovan. In 1968, Pilcher was keen to raid John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who was then staying inside Ringo Starr’s house. The two knew about the said operation just a few weeks before, and they’d managed to clean the house by the time it happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMuktSagA1k&ab_channel=Bluecheer90

March 12, 1969: George Harrison’s Hashish

The police raided George Harrison’s house on the same day that Paul married his wife, Linda. It was said that Harrison went home to his house with all of his belongings scattered on the floor.

August 10, 1972: Paul McCartney Arrested for Marijuana Possession in Sweden

Paul McCartney paid a fine of $2,000 after Swedish police got hold of the musician’s recreational drug. Such an incident even inspired Macca’s song, “Band On the Run.”

March 8, 1973: Paul McCartney’s Cannabis plants

With McCartney’s love for planting in his long-range farm in Scotland, fans often send him seedlings for him to plant anything, including MJs, which the musician is quite oblivious to. He was fined for that incident, yet didn’t serve any jail time due to him being unaware of what the weeds were.

January 16, 1980: Paul McCartney’s Firm Arrest on Japan

While the Western countries may have been tolerant of the arrests of the McCartneys, however, when the same incident happened inside a Japanese airport, the police had no mercy whatsoever to them. Paul was said to be in jail for 9 days after being busted for pot.

January 16, 1984: Another One for Paul McCartney

Perhaps Paul and Linda McCartney felt the urge to puff a few doobies while on a vacation in Barbados. Barbados officials warned the couple and fined them; luckily, they didn’t serve any jail time.

January 17, 1984: The Day after the Arrest Was Another Surprising Arrest

This time, it was Linda McCartney who was arrested for possession of marijuana from their Barbados’ vacation. Talk about luck.