Weibo posts put Yu Quan singer at center of drug sting

Have Beijing police detained Chinese singer-songwriter Chen Yufan on drugs charges? Cryptic comments posted on Sina Weibo suggest so.

On Wednesday, police in the capital's Shijingshan district said they detained a 43-year-old singer surnamed Chen on Monday along with a 25-year-old unemployed woman surnamed He.

They were found with 7.96 grams of crystal meth and 2.14 grams of marijuana, and Chen tested positive for both drugs, the authorities said.

Netizens quickly began to speculate the singer in question was Chen Yufan, one half of pop-rock duo Yu Quan, who have sold 12 million albums.

Police declined to confirm the singer's identity when contacted by China Daily on Wednesday afternoon. However, earlier that day, the weibo account of Beiijing Public Security Bureau reposted the original information with the comment, "Illegal drugs withered zuimei."

Zuimei, which translates as "most beautiful", was the title of Yu Quan's first album.

To add fuel to the fire, on Wednesday, ticket agency Tianyun Dongfang announced the band had canceled a much-anticipated live concert on Christmas Day in Beijing due to "personal reasons". The concert at the Worker's Stadium was to mark the band's 20th anniversary.

Tickets for another December concert have also been suspended.

Hu Haiquan, Chen's bandmate, posted on Sina Weibo on Wednesday to express his disappointment in an unnamed person for letting down friends who had supported them for the past 20 years.