Hans Kristian Rausing and his American wife Eva who have been arrested on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine and heroin

Hans Kristian Rausing and his American wife Eva who have been arrested on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine and heroin.Mrs Rausing said today: "I have made a serious mistake which I very much regret. I intend to leave as soon as possible to seek the help that I very much needed." Hans Kristian Rausing, 44, was detained at his Chelsea home after his American-born wife Eva, also 44, was allegedly caught trying to smuggle small "wraps" of drugs into a function at the US embassy in Grosvenor Square. Mrs Rausing was arrested at the embassy in Mayfair just after 4pm on Tuesday after being challenged by security guards. Police were called and she was taken to Charing Cross police station for questioning. Officers then raided the Rausings' £5 million home and allegedly found £2,000 worth of drugs. Her husband, a former hippy and Britain's sixth richest man, was at home and was also arrested. The couple were forced to give DNA samples, as well as have their photographs and fingerprints taken. A police source said: "The beat officers were stunned when they turned up at the embassy and the woman gave her name. Eva Rausing is head of a drugs charity and was allegedly caught trying to smuggle drugs into the U.S. embassy"Crack is something you normally associate with Brixton - not rich types." Today, wearing sunglasses and looking bedraggled, Mrs Rausing said: "I have made a grave error and I consider myself to have taken a wrong turn in the course of my life. "I am very sorry for the upset I have caused. I thank my family and friends for the kindness and undertanding that they have shown me." Mr Rausing's father, also called Hans, is a Swedish industrialist and tax exile. The couple have four children. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Officers arrested a 44-year-old woman in Mayfair on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs. "A search was then conducted at an address in Chelsea and a 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs.
"They were taken to a central London police station and later bailed to return in July, pending further enquiries." The arrest and couple's connection with crack cocaine comes as a surprise given their privileged background. The couple's place, in Cadogan Place Chelsea, was raided by policeMrs Rausing is accused of trying to smuggle 'wasps' of drugs into the U.S embassyThis couple, both 44, live in a world of wealth and privilege as far removed as it is possible to imagine from crack's traditional image of smoking dens and street corners haunted by the sad victims of the drug and its malignant influence. Yet news that Hans Kristian and his wife Eva have been arrested on suspicion of possessing both crack cocaine and heroin will not shock everyone. To the outside world they appear to lead a gilded existence, surrounded by the luxury and attention that can be bought from a share in a £5.4billion fortune. But those who know them speak quietly of people who have fought hard - and not always successfully - against addictions they picked up in their youth Hans Kristian and Eva met while attending a rehab clinic in America. Friends of the couple say they have fought drug problems for years, secretly and with quiet determination. Now their secret is out. Hans Rausing Snr made his wealth from his co-inheritance of Tetra PakBut the couple's arrest won't change their standing in the eyes of those who have benefited from the Rausings' generosity towards others whose lives have been damaged by drugs. Hans K uses money from an inherited trust to fund a number of charities. The cause that is closest to Hans K's heart is Mentor, a charity that runs projects in Britain and abroad to keep young people away from drugs. It operates in schools, universities and communities and claims to have helped more than a million children in 40 countries in the past 10 years.
Eva Rausing is a patron of the charity and she and her husband regularly attend its functions, including a gala dinner at the Natural History Museum which they helped pay for. The couple also run their own charitable trust, and give away millions every year. They live in a five-storey house off Cadogan Square in Chelsea - the house raided by police after Mrs Rausing was found trying to enter a party at the American embassy allegedly with drugs in her handbag - and they are surrounded by the usual trappings of wealth, including servants and expensive cars.
Tetra Pak was founded by his Mr Rausing's grandfather RubenShe is a keen tennis player and takes a generous interest in the Mary Rose Trust, established to save HenryVIII's salvaged battleship. The couple have also given large amounts to the Royal Opera House, which they attend often. But they are not socialites in the usually accepted sense. Dr Rausing is non-domiciled for tax purposes and an analysis of his affairs, published five years ago, revealed clever, but entirely legitimate, tax avoidance. This analysis claimed that while Dr Rausing does pay tax on part of his income, he manages to save millions by being non-domiciled.
Dr Rausing is said to be almost comically careful about money in some ways - he uses an old Morris Minor and has his hair cut by the village barber - but it is estimated he and his family have given away more than £140 million. And Hans K and Eva have given untold amounts to their drug charities. Whether their work with addicts will continue following their current difficulties with the police remains to be seen.

You Might Also Like :