Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté has been growing weed on his private island

It was reported late last night that the man behind Cirque du Soleil is in a Tahitian jail after being detained for cultivating a grow op on an island he owns (and sometimes rents for $1-million per week) in the South Pacific.

Laliberté is said to have turned himself in after one of his associates was questioned for drug possession in October and photos of a marijuana plantation were found on the associate’s phone.

An official statement from Laliberté’s entertainment/real estate/art company Lune Rouge was released last night:

“We confirm that Mr. Guy Laliberté is currently held in custody at the Gendarmerie on the island of Tahiti. A medical cannabis user, Mr. Laliberté is being questioned in respect of cultivation of cannabis for his personal use only at the residence on the island of Nukutepipi, located in the French Polynesia. Mr. Guy Laliberté categorically denies and dissociates himself completely from any rumors implicating him in the sale or the traffic of controlled substances. We collaborate with the local authorities in the investigation. No comments will be issued.”

Laliberté is due to appear before a judge today. ■