英文報紙有關:關楚耀與衛詩藏毒案

Hong Kong pop stars in Tokyo drug bust: police



TOKYO (AFP) – Hong Kong-based pop singers Kelvin Kwan and Jill Vidal have been arrested in Japan for marijuana possession, a crime that carries up to five years in jail, Tokyo police said Wednesday.

Police arrested 25-year-old Canadian national Kwan and 26-year-old Briton Vidal for possessing 0.2 grams (0.007 ounces) of cannabis while they were out in Tokyo's Shibuya district on Tuesday last week, police told AFP.

"Police searched them and found the marijuana among Kwan's belongings, and they said it belonged to both of them," said a Tokyo police spokesman.

The storekeeper called police after suspecting they were shoplifting and officers then found the marijuana, the spokesman said, although he was unable to confirm whether they had actually committed theft.

Japanese media reported that the marijuana was found rolled in a cigarette.

While the two singers have admitted to possessing the drug, they have denied taking it, media reported, quoting police officials.

"I just brought the cigarette with me that I was given in Hong Kong," Kwan reportedly told police, according to the Sankei Shimbun.

Kwan and Vidal, who are reportedly a couple, participated in anti-drug campaigns in 2007 in Hong Kong.

Japan strictly prohibits both hard and soft drugs, and police have in recent months arrested sumo wrestlers, popular musicians and actors, as well as college students, for posessing, growing or selling marijuana.

Japan saw a record number of marijuana offences last year, arresting 2,778 people in 2008, 22.3 percent more than the previous year, according to the National Police Agency.

2009-03-24 23:37:55 補充：
Hong Kong pop stars arrested for drug possession in Japan

Hong Kong - Hong Kong pop stars Kelvin Kwan and Jill Vidal have been arrested for possessing cannabis on a visit to Tokyo, a news report said Wednesday. Kwan, 25, and Vidal, 26, were arrested in the Dogenzaka shopping centre in Shibuya.

2009-03-24 23:38:17 補充：
A police search found cannabis in a packet of cigarettes Kwan was carrying, according to the newspaper. Vidal reportedly denied any criminal behaviour.

2009-03-24 23:38:33 補充：
The pair, who have taken part in anti-drug campaigns in Hong Kong schools, were arrested and face a maximum penalty of being barred from Japan and a jail sentence up to five years, the Post reported.

2009-03-24 23:38:43 補充：
According to the newspaper, Kwan, who holds a Canadian passport, told police he had brought the cannabis with him from Hong Kong while Vidal, a British passport holder, said she knew nothing about the drugs

2009-03-24 23:38:58 補充：
Kwan and Vidal are among a host of young pop stars popular in China and Taiwan who sing so-called Canto-pop music produced by record labels in Hong Kong.

2009-03-24 23:40:16 補充：
Hong Kong pop stars face jail for cannabis arrest in Tokyo

Kelvin Kwan, 25, and Jill Vidal, 26, were reportedly arrested in the Dogenzaka shopping centre in Shibuya, Tokyo, Feb 24 when shopkeepers reported a foreign man trying to steal goods.

2009-03-24 23:40:39 補充：
A police search allegedly found a small quantity of cannabis in a packet of cigarettes Kwan was carrying, according to reports in Hong Kong newspapers Wednesday. Vidal is said to have denied any criminal behaviour.

2009-03-24 23:40:44 補充：
The pair, who have taken part in anti-drug campaigns in Hong Kong schools, were arrested and detained and face up to five years in jail under strict Japanese anti-drug laws, reports said.

2009-03-24 23:40:53 補充：
Hong Kong Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Wednesday told reporters that the city's police were trying to find out about the arrests from their counterparts in Japan.

Lee added that the Hong Kong government would extend consular assistance to the two pop stars if they needed help.

2009-03-24 23:41:10 補充：
Kwan, who holds a Canadian passport, is said to have told Tokyo police he brought the cannabis with him from Hong Kong for his own personal use. Vidal, a British passport holder, denied knowledge of the drugs.

2009-03-24 23:41:34 補充：
The pair are among a host of young pop stars from Hong Kong whose so-called Canto-pop music is hugely popular with audiences in mainland China, Taiwan and overseas Chinese communities.