BEIJING  police yesterday afternoon said in a public release that a Chinese pop singer surnamed Chen is now in police custody for drug abuse and illegal possession of drugs.

Media soon confirmed the singer to be pop singer Chen Yufan, a member of popular soft rock duet Yu Quan.

The 43-year-old singer was detained with another 25-year-old woman on suspicion of drug abuse during a raid in a private home in Beijing on Monday, the release on police Weibo account Pingan Shijingshan says.

Police seized 7.69g crystal meth and 2.14g marijuana on the spot. Chen’s urine tested positive for meth and marijuana, the release says. The case is still under investigation.

Speculations of Chen’s detainment have been circulating for days, but Chen’s agent company Giant Jump denied the allegations. In a public letter issued yesterday morning, the company called the allegations “rumors” and stressed to reserve the rights to take legal actions against false rumors. But the letter was later removed from the company’s Weibo account.

Yu Quan has cancelled their Christmas concert in Beijing on Dec. 25. But it’s not yet clear how their 20th anniversary tour concerts, which were set to take place Dec. 8, Dec. 28 and Jan. 5, 2019, would be affected.

Chen and singer Hu Haiquan formed duo band Yu Quan in 1998 and have published nine albums on the mainland, with over 7 million records sold. They have had roles in reality TV shows in recent years, both as competitors and as mentors. They won first place in reality TV show “I Am a Singer” in 2013 and served on judging panels for “Sing My Song” in 2014 and “Sound of My Dream” in 2016.

(Song Yingwen)