Drugs Found Near Harry Potter Set

Jan. 8 -- A recent item in TV Guide revealed that “muggle,” the word for non-magical folk employed by wizards and such in the Harry Potter books, is also a “common term for [marijuana]” in the 1920s.

A-ha! Perhaps that explains what some “drug paraphernalia” was doing at an English production studio connected to the Warner Bros. film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

The studio confirmed on Sunday that the paraphernalia — what kind it was, they didn’t say — was found at Leavesden Studios outside London, which is housing the production team for the Harry Potter film. London’s The Guardian reports that the confiscated drug equipment allegedly included syringes.

Of course, Warner Bros. was quick to point out that the contraband was not found on, or near, any of the sets in use by the production of the movie. The company also said no actual drugs were found on the premises and no direct link between the Harry Potter production and the items in question has been established.

In a statement, the company said that it immediately advised law enforcement authorities of the suspicious items.

“As we address this very serious matter, our paramount concern is for the safety and protection of the cast and crew of Harry Potter,” a representative of the company was quoted as saying by BBC News. The rep also promised a “high level of security” for the rest of the film’s production.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first of several planned film adaptations of the best-selling J.K. Rowling books, is scheduled to complete principal photography at Leavesden in March and will be released in November. The film stars 11-year-old newcomer Daniel Radcliffe as Harry. Among the adult cast are Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, and Zoe Wanamaker.

Reuters contributed to this story.