Pop star Man Wenjun has been locked up in a police cell after he was allegedly busted with heroin during a raid on his wife's birthday party.
In news that has shocked the entertainment industry, the 40-year-old singer, his wife Li Li and more than ten other people were detained by police early on Tuesday. Man shot to fame with his 1996 hit I Understand You All the Time.
Police acting on an anonymous tip raided the VIP room at the popular Coco Banana club in Beijing. Man was there celebrating his wife's birthday with their friends.
Man, his wife and more than 10 other people tested positive for drug use after urine tests were administered, the Beijing News reported. An unnamed drug dealer in Beijing told the China Entertainment Net that the celebrity couple were frequent drug users and bought 2.5 grams of heroin from him on Monday.
The Coco Banana venue has been ordered to close for up to six months. It’s one of the capital's most popular nightclubs and the venue of choice of visiting international DJs.
Mai Hongmei, the actress wife of singer Sun Nan, and Meng Jun, Man and Sun's music producer, were briefly detained, according to a report on the CCTV website.
Mai gave a brief statement to police and said that she did not see anyone using drugs, after which she was allowed to go home, Phoenix entertainment reported. The Legal Evening News, citing police sources, said Man and his wife had confessed to drug use.
An official from the China foundation for children with brain paralysis, where Man has been a brand ambassador since 2007, said she was shocked and the foundation "was not ready to comment".
Unconfirmed local reports said Man and his wife may be sent to a rehabilitation center.
Song Ke, CEO of Taihe Rye Music, to which Man is currently contracted, refused to comment.
(英語點津 Helen 編輯)
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Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.