Rick Danko, The Band

member who was arrested last month in Tokyo on

drug charges, is headed for trial for allegedly

smuggling heroin into Japan and could face up to

three years in prison there if found guilty.

The 53-year-old bassist and vocalist, who was

inducted with The Band to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, has been held on drug

smuggling charges and will soon go on trial, according to Reuters news service. Neither

Danko's management nor record label could be reached for comment on Friday.

Police in Chiba, a Tokyo suburb, reportedly raided Danko's hotel room on May 6 and found

1.25 grams of heroin in a magazine mailed to him from the U.S., Reuters reported. He has since

been held in detention. He was charged on May 23 with violating the Narcotics Control Law and

the Customs Law of the country. If convicted, Danko could be simply deported, but he could

also be sentenced to a maximum three years in prison.

Danko, who has undergone drug rehabilitation in the past, had just completed a Japanese solo

tour when he was detained.

The Band first served as folk-rock legend Bob Dylan's backing group before releasing their

landmark 1968 debut, Music From Big Pink. Earlier this year, Danko released an album with

folkie Eric Andersen and Norwegian singer/songwriter Jonas Fjeld, Ridin' On The Blinds

(Rykodisc), which was the follow-up to 1991's Danko/Fjeld/Andersen.