TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — One of Taiwan's top YouTubers Joeman (九妹), influencer Lyla (蕾拉), and DJ Tang Yu (DJ湯宇) have been arrested for possessing marijuana and are facing drug charges.
After receiving a tip, the New Taipei City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Corps deployed teams to conduct drug raids at multiple locations early on Monday morning (Nov. 6), reported Liberty Times. At five locations they arrested 10 people on drug-related charges, including Joeman, Leila, and her husband DJ Tang Yu, but none of the drug ring leaders were found.
In the initial investigation, Joeman was found to be in possession of approximately 3 grams of marijuana, while Leila and DJ Tang Yu were found to be in possession of about one gram of the Category 2 narcotic. Police said that the case would be handled in accordance with the law and officers would continue to search for the source of the drugs and the leaders of the drug operation.
The New Taipei City Police Department conducted the dawn raids in Xinzhuang, Sanchong, Banqiao, Zhonghe, and Yonghe districts. When they arrived at Joeman's residence in Xinzhuang, he was still asleep.
When he opened the door, he initially thought the police had pressed the wrong doorbell. Once inside Joeman's residence, they spotted the cannabis.
When investigators arrived at Lyla and DJ Tang Yu's residence to conduct a search at around 6 a.m., they were still asleep. After they opened the door, officers soon found a marijuana pipe.
During police questioning, Joeman reportedly said the cannabis was purchased online, while Lyla and DJ Tang Yu claimed that they had bought the marijuana in Thailand and smoked it all abroad. They also denied knowing the source of the seized marijuana.
The three were then transferred to the District Prosecutor's Office for further questioning. After the questioning was completed, all three were released without bail.
According to China Times, Joeman, who has over 2.59 million followers on YouTube, confessed to having used marijuana and said his biggest concern was that the arrest might affect his career as an internet celebrity. Lyla and her spouse denied knowledge of how the pipe had ended up in their home.
