Flashback: Keith Richards gets busted in Toronto

It was 30 years ago (February 28th, 1977) that Keith Richards was arrested in Toronto for possession of heroin. Richards, who was in town to perform with the Rolling Stones at the El Mocambo Club for an upcoming live album, was awakened by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who found, among other substances, five grams of cocaine and 22 grams of heroin in his room. Richards was charged with "possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to traffic." Although Richards was eventually released on $25,000 bail, due to the trafficking charge he faced a minimum seven-year prison term if found guilty.

Richards, who due to his growing and public drug use had been on the wrong side of the law since 1967, was now facing the most serious criminal charge of his life.


He eventually received a suspended sentence after the court concluded that Richards did not bring the drugs into the country, but rather purchased the stash while in Canada.

During the trial later that year, a blind woman and die-hard Stones fan privately appealed to the judge and explained how Richards had always looked out for her when the band was on the road in Canada, making sure she was safe and cared for, and often helping find her a ride home after the shows.

Part of Richards' sentence involved playing a local charity concert for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in 1979 with his and fellow Stones guitarist Ron Wood's side band the New Barbarians. By that time, Richards had been heroin free for two years, having quit the drug cold turkey.

The El Mocambo shows in Toronto were eventually featured on the Stones' live album Love You Live.