'Stranger Things' Star Charlie Heaton Apologizes After Being Detained for Alleged Cocaine Possession

The British actor missed the premiere of 'Stranger Things 2' on Friday after being denied entry to the country from the Los Angeles International Airport.

Charlie Heaton is apologizing to his fans and co-stars.

The Stranger Things 2 star missed the second season premiere in Los Angeles last week after being detained at LAX Airport for what a law enforcement source tells ET was possession of small traces of cocaine.

"This was a random inspection and we found traces of cocaine within his possession, and that was the reason he was denied entry into the United States," the source says, clarifying that Heaton was not deported and that no charges were filed. The 23-year-old actor headed home on the next available flight to London.

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"My planned travel to the US last week was affected by an issue at US immigration, and I am working to rectify it as soon as possible," the British actor said in a statement to ET on Monday. " I do want to clarify that I was not arrested or charged with a crime, and cooperated fully with the US officials at LAX."

"I’m sorry to all the fans and my Stranger Things family for missing the premiere," he added. "We are all so proud of this season and I would never want this story to negatively impact the show."

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"Privacy concerns prevent U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from discussing individual cases of travelers arriving at U.S. ports of entry," a Border Patrol agent told ET in a statement. "Foreign nationals may be inadmissible due to the commission of a crime involving drug possession.  A violation, conspiracy to violate or simply an attempt to violate any U.S. State, federal or any foreign government controlled substance violation renders a foreign national inadmissible to the United States ... CBP officers treat all international travelers with integrity, respect and professionalism while keeping the highest standards of security."

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Meanwhile, Heaton's co-stars were able to step out for the red carpet frenzy last week, and dish on the highly anticipated second season of the Netflix thriller.

Watch the video below for the cast's take on the best way to binge watch the show!

Reporting by Steve Wilks.

 

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