Singer Billie Holiday was arrested in a San Francisco hotel room today (January 22, 1949), for possession of drugs.
Federal agents and local police in San Francisco had been following Billie Holiday, due to her heroin addiction.
But, during this particular incident, Billie Holiday maintained she was innocent.
The singer was in a hotel room with her manager John Levy, when the phone rang, with one of Levy’s friends.
The friend told Levy that police were about to raid the room and arrest him for possession of drugs.
Levy gave the opium he was carrying to Billie Holiday, just as federal agents barged into the hotel room.
Both were arrested and charged with opium possession, but the charges against Levy were dropped, due to lack of evidence.
Billie Holiday eventually went to trial for the incident in May and she was exonerated of all charges.
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