Jackie Chan’s son freed after six months in Chinese jail

Jaycee Chan has served his six -month jail sentence for possessing drugs in China. Vincent Yu / AP Photo

BEIJING // The son of kung fu star Jackie Chan was released from a Chinese jail on Friday after serving a six-month term for drugs offences, his agency said.

Jaycee Chan, who like his father has worked as an actor and singer, was detained in August and charged with providing a venue for others to use drugs after police found 100 grams of marijuana at his home in Beijing.

He had already spent five months in prison when he was sentenced in January after pleading guilty to the crime.

The 32-year-old was set free from a prison in the Chinese capital early Friday morning, his management M’Stones International said in a statement.

Chan and the company will hold a press conference on Saturday at which the star will “formally apologise and explain to the public”, it added.

At least 10 locally-known stars were detained on drug-related charges last year, according to state-run media.

Experts say the arrests are part of a wider campaign by Beijing to promote morality. Chinese authorities have also targeted prostitution and the broader illegal drugs trade over the past year.

Jaycee Chan has featured in several films but not yet won the acclaim earned by his father, one of Asia’s best-known actors with a string of Hollywood hits to his name.

* Agence France-Presse