Members of a Vancouver Iron Maiden tribute band who dress as clowns onstage are hoping for the best for their “grease-painted pal” after he was arrested in Japan with a guitar case full of $7 million in stimulant drugs.
Daniel Burton Whitmore, AKA Dicksee Di’Anno in the band Powerclown, is in custody in Tokyo after being arrested in Narita airport in December, according to Japanese news reports.
“Flags are flying half mast at the Powerclown Circus Tent,” a band member who called himself Sketchy Klown wrote on the band’s Facebook page. “I assure you, any frowns we are wearing are real, painted or not.”
“Clownery and parlour tricks, whether by him or us ain’t gonna do no good. Even with his voice, the voice of a songbird, and his velvet-painting-smooth charm, he won’t be able to talk his way out of this, even if he did speak Japanese,” the post said.
Japanese reports say Whitmore was found to have 9.8 kg of stimulants concealed in a false bottom in his guitar case on Dec. 11. The drugs were concealed in a hidden compartment, and officials were alerted because he was nervous and the case appeared too heavy.
Whitmore has been charged with violating the Stimulants Control Law and the Japanese Customs Law, according to reports. Japan is known for being tough on drug crimes.
Whitmore’s father Barry told CTV News his son is in custody with a no correspondence order, which means he can’t talk to anyone except his father and his Japanese lawyer.
Whitmore, who by day is a concrete worker, had to stop working because of a health issue in September, his father said. His father was covering most costs during those months.
“I’m dealing with the shock of the whole thing,” he said. “We feel he’s being used...I don’t think he realized what was in it.
“This is so out of character for him. It blew our minds that this happened.”
A Facebook post on Whitmore’s page two days before the arrest says “Are you an Asian drug dealer? Because you’re bringing me down…” It’s not clear what is meant by this post and his friends commented that it was “bad timing.”
Friend Darryl Greer said the last time he saw Whitmore was at a Powerclown show at the Rickshaw Theatre on December 1, about 10 days before the trip to Japan.
“He’s very intelligent, very funny and a wonderful entertainer,” Greer said. “The entire situation is so crazy. It’s not a piece of news I ever thought or could imagine and it’s shocking.”
Sketchy Klown told CTV News in an interview he’s hoping that the family or Canadian diplomatic representatives can make sure any sentence Whitmore may receive is served in Canada.
“It’s a mix of disbelief and worry and sadness and anger,” he said.
“The bottom line is all we can do is hope for the best, and hope he has some luck with the consulate and get him back home so we can visit him,” he said.
“While none of us clowns condone Dicksee’s actions, or recommend anyone else attempting anything this foolish, we do hope for the best for our grease-painted pal,” Sketchy Klown wrote in the statement. “We love you Dicksee. If you somehow make it back here, and we hope you do, we may even go easy on you. Maybe. No promises.”
