BEIJING police have detained Chinese actor Wang Xuebing, star of last year’s Golden Bear winning film, for suspected drug offenses, authorities confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

    Wang, who in 2006 was an anti-drug ambassador for the city of Beijing, was held on suspicion of using crystal meth, the Beijing Evening News and other local media reported. The 43-year-old actor, who portrayed a murderer in “Black Coal, Thin Ice,” was caught by police together with a female magazine art director Monday, an insider told Xinhua.

    His character in “Black Coal, Thin Ice” dismembered his victims and scattered their body parts via coal shipments.

    The arrest came as his latest movie, “A Fool,” the directorial debut of veteran Chinese actor Chen Jianbin, won censor’s approval to screen on the Chinese mainland starting May 1. “A Fool” won two awards at the Golden Horse Awards last year in Taiwan.

    Wang’s arrest could spell trouble for “A Fool” in China because the country’s media watchdog has warned broadcasters not to screen shows featuring stars “with bad records.”

    Wang’s investigation followed the arrest of another Chinese actor Monday.

    Zhang Bo, well-known for his role as a policeman in a TV series, was caught in an apartment in Chaoyang District after a tip-off. Zhang tested positive for crystal methamphetamine and more than 10 grams of the drug were seized in the apartment.

    Further investigation is under way.

    (SD-Agencies)