On May 7, a private plane carrying Jonathan Rhys Meyers, his wife Mara Lane, his mother-in-law, and $1.3 million in cannabis products was grounded on the island of St.Kitts and Nevis. According to Vanity Fair, there were so many cannabis and CBD products inside the aircraft that it filled the plane from wall to wall. How did Jonathan Rhys Meyers end up on a plane with so much weed and his mother-in-law? And is that weirdest part of this story?
Of course it’s not! JRM hasn’t said why he chose to be on the plane – but all the cannabis was allegedly for business. He was traveling with billionaire Chase Ergen and Coca Cola bottling heir Alki David, who were traveling to St. Kitt with hopes to pitch their “hemp products” to the government.
Only, that didn’t go well: St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris had David and Ergen arrested as they attempted to leave after the talks broke down. (According to a statement from the prime minister, the group was not granted a license to import cannabis seeds into the country.)
“Jonathan Rhys Meyers’s mother-in-law and wife were cavity searched. We left the airport after the search, but were then arrested after trying to leave the island a few days later,” David told the Daily Mail about the incident.
It’s still murky about how things went so south for the group. On a video taken during the flight and shared to the Daily Mail, JRM can be seen enthusiastically discussing how the movie Pulp Fiction changed cinema forever.
In a press release, David claimed that the group had the best of intentions in flying to the island with all of their product. “Our intention is to work with the government, the courts, the banks, the business sector, and the farmers to develop a fair system that creates thousands of jobs on the island and… make St. Kitts-Nevis cannabis products among the most sought after in the world,” the statement reads. The press release also declared that $100 million in lawsuits have been filed against Prime Minister Harris.
The police in St. Kitts and Nevis announced on Facebook that they charged David with “Possession with Intent to Supply, Possession of Controlled Drugs and Importation of a Controlled Drug into the Federation.” He posted bail and was released from detention. While cannabis has been decriminalized for adult use in the country, importing it requires special permissions.
David and Ergen don’t seem too worried, though. According to Vanity Fair, David posted a jovial video to his Instagram story, where both men could be seen laughing.
“Well, folks, today’s the big day,” David said. “Trial day, right? Trial day. We are headed towards the Basseterre quadrant, where it will be decided as to the fate of the entrepreneur who came with hemp: 10 years or freedom? More shall be revealed.”
It is still unclear why Jonathan Rhys Meyers and his mother-in-law were on the plane to begin with.