Jackie Chan's son has been detained in Beijing on drug-related charges in the latest high-profile celebrity to be ensnared in one of China's biggest anti-drug crackdowns in two decades, according to The Associated Press.
Jaycee Chan, 31, was detained last Thursday together with the 23-year-old Taiwanese movie star Kai Ko, Beijing police said late Monday on their official microblog, identifying them only by their surnames, ages and nationalities, the AP reported. It was unclear why the detentions were announced several days later.
Police said both actors tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug, and that 100 grams of it were taken from Chan's home, according to the AP.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired footage of a police search of the younger Chan's home in Beijing in which he is depicted, his face pixelated, showing officers where he stashed bags of marijuana, the AP reported.
Police said they acted on a tipoff from the public.
Chan is accused of accommodating drug users, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment, a far more serious charge than that of drug consumption, according to the AP. Two other people detained in the same case were accused of selling drugs while Ko is accused of drug consumption.
Jaycee Chan's management, M'Stones International, apologized to the public on his behalf for the "social impact" caused in a statement on their website, the AP reported. It said they would "supervise his rehabilitation and help him return to the right path."
The detentions follow a declaration in June by President Xi Jinping that illegal drugs should be wiped out and that offenders would be severely punished, according to the AP. In Beijing alone, more than 7,800 people have been caught in the crackdown, police said.
Last week, 42 Beijing performing arts associations and theater companies signed a pledge to not hire any actors connected with drugs in an event organized by the capital's Narcotics Control Office and the Beijing Cultural Bureau, the AP reported.
Pi Yijun, an anti-drug adviser for the Beijing government, said authorities were targeting celebrities because "these people have a large number of fans, so their behavior tends to have a huge influence on young people," according to the AP.
