Jackie Chan’s Son Drug Update: Sentenced to 6 Months of Prison
Kong Fu movie star Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee Chan pled guilty in a Beijing court for drug offense. According to the Dongcheng District People's Court, the 32-year-old actor and singer was sentenced to six months of prison and fined 2,000 yuan, which is equivalent to about $320.
"I violated the law. I deserve to be punished. When I return to society, I won't do it again," the younger Chan said.
The police found more than 100 grams, or 3.5 ounces, of marijuana in Chan's Beijing apartment. At the time, Chan, Taiwanese movie star Ko Chen-tung, known as Ko Kai and others were present. The police detained Chan "on suspicion of accommodating suspected drug users." Chan and Ko later tested positive for marijuana, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Last month, Chan was charged for "the crime of sheltering others to take drugs," Reuters reported. He faced a maximum sentence of three years. During the trial, which started at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Chan confessed to allowing others to use drugs four times in his home from 2012 to 2014.
Since Chan voluntarily confessed, the judge in Beijing's Eastern District Court showed leniency and shortened his sentence to six months. Ko, who admitted to using drugs at Chan's apartment, was released after 14-days of detention.
According to lawyer Si Weijiang, Chan could be released from prison in over a month since he has been in detention for months.
Jackie Chan, known for his role in the "Rush Hour" movies stated that he did not use any of his connections to help with his son's case. In 2009, the star was named an anti-drug ambassador. He also sits on China's top national political advisory panel, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Chan's case is one of many in China's recent efforts to crackdown on illegal drugs. Since January of last year, the police have arrested more than 7,800 people, which is a 71.9 percent increase over the same time period in the previous year.
