Actor Jaycee Chan formally arrested on drug charges
Actor and Ko Chen-tung were detained last month after being caught smoking marijuana
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 17 September, 2014, 4:55pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 17 September, 2014, 5:57pm
Nectar Gan [email protected]
Hong Kong actor Jaycee Chan was arrested in Beijing last month in the drug case. Photo: Reuters
Jaycee Chan has been formally arrested on drug charges, nearly a month after he was caught smoking marijuana in Beijing.
The prosecutor's office, or procuratorate, in Beijing's Dongcheng district approved the arrest of Jaycee Fong Cho-ming, son of international kung fu icon Jackie Chan, on suspicion of "accommodating drug users".
This signals that authorities are moving forward with the case against Jaycee, who is currently in detention.
Jaycee, 32, was taken away by police on August 14 with his friend Taiwanese actor Ko Chen-tung, 23, for doing drugs at a foot massage parlour in Beijing.
Police recovered more than 100 grams of marijuana from Chan's home in Beijing.
Mainland media reported that Jaycee Chan admitted that he first abused drugs in the Netherlands in 2006, while Ko did so for the first time in Jaycee’s home two years ago.
The public security bureau of Dongcheng had sought the procuratorate’s approval for Chan’s arrest on September 10, the statement on Weibo said.
Chinese police need official approval from prosecutors to formally arrest a suspect. During a period of formal arrest, police can continue to investigate. If they decide to criminally charge him, a trial would follow.
The maximum sentence for allowing others to take drugs in a property, workplace or hotel is three years’ imprisonment.
Ko was given a sentence of 14 days in administrative detention after he admitted using marijiuana.
On his release, he appeared at a news conference with his parents and agent and apologised for smoking the drug.
Jackie Chan, who was named an anti-drug ambassador in 2009 by Chinese authorities, has publicly apologised for his son’s drug use and pledged to work with him on his recovery.
A series of celebrities have been detained on drug charges following a declaration in June by President Xi Jinping that illegal drugs should be wiped out and that offenders would be severely punished.
Performing arts associations and theatre companies in Beijing have pledged not to hire any actors connected with drugs, and national associations representing film actors, directors and producers have reportedly issued a notice saying members who repeatedly take drugs will be expelled and banned from making movies.
With additional reporting from Associated Press
