Cocaine bust forces Stranger Things star to miss launch

SNIFFER dogs derailed the passage of British actor Charlie Heaton, who missed the premiere of hit US TV series Stranger Things after being allegedly busted for cocaine.

The 23-year-old cast member had flown from London to the US for the season two launch party in Los Angeles.

But he was caught by sniffer dogs at LAX Airport, where border officials allegedly found traces of white powder on his personal items.

A source told The Sun the “very small amount” was subsequently confirmed to be cocaine.

Heaton was then sent back to the UK, forcing him to miss the glitzy premiere of the hugely popular supernatural show.

The source said: “He was not arrested. He was held at the airport for a while and then put back on a plane to London that night. If you are a foreign national and it is a large amount of drugs you may be charged.

“But if it is personal use, the consequences are that you will not be allowed in to the country. US law is very strict on this.”

Heaton, a former drummer in a rock band, plays Jonathan Byers, brother of abducted schoolboy Will, in the Netflix series.

He is understood to have flown into LAX on Saturday afternoon before being sent back that evening.

His fellow castmates lined up on Thursday night without him for the LA bash.

Heaton, who has also had roles in ITV drama DCI Banks and BBC One’s Casualty, was pictured looking dishevelled near his house in London yesterday.

A representative for the Yorkshire-born star told The Sun “I have no comment to make.”

It is not known if this incident will cause him further problems entering the US, where Stranger Things is filmed.

A spokesman for US Customs and Border Protection said last night: “Privacy concerns prevent us from discussing individual cases of travellers arriving at US ports of entry.

“Foreign nationals may be inadmissable due to the commission of a crime involving drug possession.”

He added that a “violation, conspiracy to violate or simply an attempt to violate” drugs laws would “render a foreign national inadmissable to the United States”.

Last year’s first series of Stranger Things, which also features Hollywood star Winona Ryder, bagged a string of awards, including five Emmys.

The entire cast also won a Screen Actors Guild award for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series”.

Its nine new episodes premiered last night on the streaming platform.

A spokesman for Netflix did not respond to requests for comment.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and is republished with permission.