American DJ arrested in Japan for ecstasy possession

American DJ David Morales was arrested early yesterday at a southern Japanese airport on suspicion of drug smuggling after a tiny quantity of ecstasy was allegedly found in his possession, police and local media said. Morales was detained at Fukuoka airport after a customs officer found the euphoria-inducing drug MDMA, better know as ecstasy.

“He was arrested for allegedly violating the law on narcotics and psychotropics control,” a police spokesman told AFP. Authorities allegedly found five granules of MDMA -- weighing 0.3 grammes -- in Morales’ carry-on suitcase, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. The Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported that the 56-yearold DJ denied the allegation, saying: “It’s not mine. (Someone) might have tried to frame me”.

Morales was scheduled to perform at events in Fukuoka on Saturday and Tokyo yesterday, according to his website. Morales was an influential figure in the New York dance scene during the 1980s and 1990s. He has remixed and produced releases for artists including Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, according to his website. Morales was nominated for his first Grammy Award in 1996 as a producer for Mariah Carey’s song “Fantasy.” Two years later, he won the Grammy for “Remixer of the Year.”