Keef guilty of possession 1977

On this day in music history: February 27, 1977 - Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in his hotel room in Toronto, Canada. He is charged with illegal drug possession when they find 5 grams of cocaine, 22 grams of heroin, and assorted paraphernalia. Richards is so out of it that it takes the police forty five minutes to wake him up in order to arrest him. The amount of drugs found on the musician is large enough, that he is charged with trafficking, and his bail is set at $25,000. Faced with the prospect of spending seven years in prison, the judge instead has Richards commit to performing two benefit concerts for the blind, with the charges being reduced from trafficking to “simple possession of heroin”. The suggestion for the concerts come from a young blind female fan that testifies in court on his behalf. Prior to his arrest, Richards becomes friends with the girl (who he refers to as his “Blind Angel”), having helped her get to Rolling Stones shows by arranging transportation for her. The incident in Toronto is a major catalyst in Keith Richards kicking his heroin habit for good.