On May 3, 1969, customs agents at Toronto International Airport detained Hendrix after finding a small amount of what they suspected to be heroin and hashish in his luggage.

During a performance at Maple Leaf Gardens later that night, he displayed a jovial attitude, joking with the audience and singing a few lines of mock opera for comedic effect.

At a preliminary hearing on June 19, Judge Robert Taylor set a date for December 8, at which Hendrix would stand trial for two counts of illegal possession of narcotics, for which he faced as many as 20 years in prison.

In his cross-examination of Canadian customs officials, defense attorney John O'Driscoll raised doubts about whether the narcotics belonged to Hendrix, who had no drug paraphernalia in his luggage or needle tracks on his arms.

Two weeks after the arrest, he told his friend, the journalist Sharon Lawrence, that his fear of needles discouraged him from using heroin and that associating with junkies had convinced him it was not a drug he wanted to use.

Although Hendrix was one of the biggest stars in North America at the time, and the world's highest-paid performer, only a couple of Toronto newspapers carried the story.

His public relations manager, Michael Goldstein, later revealed that he bribed a member of the Associated Press with a case of liquor in an effort to prevent the story from going out on the news wire.

One night bassist Noel Redding was warned about a pending visit from law enforcement, so he immediately phoned drummer Mitch Mitchell, who was at the nightclub Whisky a Go Go, and asked him to come over to the house so that they could search for and remove any illegal drugs.

[6][nb 1] A mobile lab was set up to determine what had been found, and at 1:30 p.m. Metro police detective Harry Midgley arrested him for illegal possession of narcotics.

[7][8][nb 2] While they awaited the lab results, Stickells attempted to make contact with Hendrix's manager, Mike Jeffery, who had traveled to Hawaii and was unavailable.

[10] When Stickells expressed concern that the arrest might jeopardize the concert that was scheduled for that night at Maple Leaf Gardens, the booking detective assured them that he would "get it done as quickly" as he could because his children had tickets for the event; he commented: "they'll kill me if I don't get [Hendrix] out.

"[10] Rolling Stone magazine reported that during the arraignment hearing, which lasted for three minutes, the courthouse was filled with young fans who had come to show their support for Hendrix, who "entered wearing a pink shirt open to the waist, an Apache-style headband, a multi-colored scarf around his neck and beads.

[14] Judge Robert Taylor presided over the hearing, setting a date for December 8, at which Hendrix would stand trial for two counts of possession of heroin and hashish, for which he faced as much as 20 years in prison.

[22] Crown counsel John Malone called as witnesses the officers who discovered the drugs and the lab technicians who identified them as heroin; the prosecution rested after three hours of testimony.

[17] Hendrix was called as the first witness for the defense; he testified that fans showered gifts on him, including teddy bears, scarves, clothing, and jewelry.

[25] He explained that while in Beverly Hills, California, a female fan had given him a vial of what he thought was Bromo-Seltzer—a legal medication—which he put in his bag without knowledge of the illegal substances contained therein.

"[17] The prosecutor then held up the aluminum tube in which the hashish was found and asked Hendrix to explain what he thought it was, he replied: "A pea shooter", drawing uproarious laughter from the court.

[17] He testified that he was given some gifts at a fan club meeting for the Beatles that were intended for the English group; when he opened them he found several joints as well as what appeared to be doses of LSD.

"[38] According to Shapiro and Glebbeek, in 1969 there was little confidence in the staying power of rock stars; it was assumed that their careers were going to be short, and industry insiders operated under a "take the money and run" mentality.

[40][nb 6] The band played their final concert on June 29, at Mile High Stadium in Denver (less than two months before Hendrix's iconic solo performance at Woodstock).

"[45] Despite the fact that Hendrix was one of the biggest stars in North America at the time, and the highest-paid performer in the world, only a couple of Toronto newspapers carried the story.

[48] Four weeks later, Rolling Stone published a sympathetic article written by rock journalists Ben Fong-Torres and Ritchie Yorke that included speculation that Hendrix had been framed.

His public relations manager, Michael Goldstein, later revealed that he had bribed a member of the Associated Press with a case of liquor to prevent the story from going out on the wire.

[45] Goldstein commented: "I knew that a million dollars was riding on that story not getting on UPI and the AP wire ... By his nature, a press agent shouldn't have to determine someone's future.

"[50] Wayne Kramer, a guitarist for MC5, suggested that Hendrix had been set up as part of a wide-scale crackdown on rock musicians: "I don't have any doubt in my mind that the right-wing government forces were behind all of that ...

They also speculated that Canadian authorities had anticipated a public spectacle, intentionally searching the Hendrix entourage in plain view of people at the airport.

[56][nb 9] According to author John Hagen, Toronto's then-mayor, William Dennison, was openly antagonistic to the influx of American hippies, draft resisters, and those who supported them who were coming to Canada in large numbers during the height of the Vietnam War.