The son of Britain’s third richest man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine and heroin after his wife was allegedly caught trying to smuggle drugs into the American Embassy.

Hans Kristian Rausing, 44, whose family became multibillionaires after his grandfather invented the Tetrapak carton, was arrested at his home in Chelsea, southwest London, after police conducted a search of his home. His father, also called Hans, has a fortune in excess of £5 billion.

Police went to Mr Rausing’s home after his wife, Eva, who is the daughter of a wealthy executive at Pepsi, was stopped as she arrived at a function at the American Embassy in Mayfair. Security guards at the building, which is heavily guarded, reportedly challenged the 44-year-old woman and confiscated her coat and bag, which allegedly contained small quantities of class A drugs.

A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed last night that a 44-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man had been arrested. “At approximately 4.20pm on Tuesday police officers arrested a woman in Mayfair on suspicion of possessing class A drugs. Following this arrest a search was conducted at a residential 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 inquiries.”

Reports in The Sun newspaper suggested that drugs worth £2,000 were seized. The pair were taken to Charing Cross police station, where their fingerprints and DNA samples were taken.

Mr Rausing owns a flat on The World, a luxury cruise liner for the super-rich that continuously circumnavigates the world.

His 82-year-old father is a Swedish industrialist who is estimated to be the 77th richest man in the world.

The Rausing family owns luxury properties in Sussex and the Caribbean. Sigrid Rausing, Mr Rausing’s sister, is one of the most generous philanthropists in Britain.

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