Jackie Chan's son released after Beijing marijuana sentence
BEIJING (AP) — The son of actor
Jackie Chan was released from a Beijing jail Friday after completing a
six-month sentence for allowing people to use marijuana in his
apartment, amid a crackdown on illegal narcotics in the Chinese capital.
A
statement issued by Jaycee Chan's entertainment company said the
32-year-old actor and singer left the city's Dongcheng jail a few
minutes after midnight Thursday.
Photos showed chaotic scenes as reporters chased his car and surrounded it at a toll station.
The
statement thanked fans and the media for their concern and said Chan
would hold a news conference Saturday in order to "apologize and
explain."
Police detained
Chan, Taiwanese movie star Ko Kai and several other people in August in
Chan's Beijing apartment. Chan and Ko tested positive for marijuana, and
police seized more than 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of the substance. Ko,
whose real name is Ko Chen-tung, was released after serving a 14-day
administrative detention.
Chan
could have been sentenced to as many as three years in prison, but the
court showed leniency because he had confessed and showed contrition.
Police detained Chan, Taiwanese
movie star Ko Kai and several other people in August in Chan's Beijing
apartment. Chan and Ko tested positive for marijuana, and police seized
more than 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of the substance. Ko, whose real name
is Ko Chen-tung, was released after serving a 14-day administrative
detention.
Chan could have
been sentenced to as many as three years in prison, but the court showed
leniency because he had confessed and showed contrition.
Jaycee
Chan's arrest was a sensitive matter for his father because of Jackie
Chan's high profile in China, including serving as an anti-drug
ambassador and deputy to the top advisory board to China's legislature.
The elder Chan has apologized for his son's actions and said the two
would work together to mend his ways.
A
number of celebrities have been caught up in Beijing's drug crackdown
as the city tries to slow ballooning drug use. Police said more than
7,800 people were arrested last summer in Beijing in what was called the
biggest anti-drug campaign in two decades.
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