Mick, Drugs, and a '69 Investigation

Newly released police files from 1969 show what the police thought of Sir. Mick Jagger.

The records, declassified by Britain's National Archives, detail Jagger's claim that detectives planted drugs on him during a raid on his London apartment that took place in '69. Jagger was fined 200 pounds (the equivalent of approximately $500 for that time) for possession of cannabis after the raid on his Chelsea home.

The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into Jagger's claim that a drug squad officer, Det. Sgt. Robin Constable, had tried to plant white powder inside a box in the house. "I think he put the box down and opened the folded paper. He said 'Ah, ah, we won't have to look much further,' Jagger said in a statement to police. "As I got to him he showed me the paper and I saw it contained some white powder. I said 'You bastard, you planted me with heroin.' Jagger then claimed Constable replied "Don't worry, Mick, we can sort it all out.

Scotland Yard launched an investigation, interviewing supporters of Jagger who ranged from a lawyer and a member of Parliament to minor drug dealers. "The private persons interviewed during the course of this investigation represent extreme ends of the scale. At one end are public figures whilst at the other are the dregs of society, noted Cmdr. Robert Huntley, who oversaw the inquiry.

The investigation concluded with no "substantial corroborative evidence for Jagger's claim against the "hardworking and competent police officer Constable. Police considered Jagger, "an intelligent young man, and doubtless is on the fringe, if not embroiled in the world of users of dangerous drugs. The case was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who concluded that no further action should be taken against the police.