TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following the arrest of popular Taiwan YouTuber Joeman (九妹) for possessing marijuana, internet celebrity Toyz complained that Joeman was only subject to urine testing and demanded that he also undergo hair testing for the drug.
YouTuber Joeman, whose real name is Weng Chun-ming (翁雋明), was arrested by police on Monday (Nov. 6) for possessing marijuana. Before being transferred to the New Taipei District Prosecutor's Office for investigation on drug charges, Joeman underwent a urine test and was later released without bail, reported NOWnews.
Online live-streamer Toyz was previously arrested for selling cannabis vape cartridges and sentenced to four years and two months in prison on Monday evening. He criticized Joeman in a livestream and questioned why prosecutors did not administer a hair follicle test on the YouTuber.
Toyz said that when he was caught, he was tested, and no traces of marijuana were found in his hair, but he was sent to a correctional facility for one month. He questioned why Joeman was not required to undergo a hair test and suggested that Joeman should confess and at least admit guilt.
He said the detection window for drugs in urine is only one to two weeks, whereas hair can retain traces for three to six months, so he did not understand why police did not conduct a hair test.
In response, New Taipei City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Corps (CIC) on Tuesday (Nov. 7) pointed out that with regular drug cases, urine samples are typically collected and sent for testing. In this case, as the Category 2 narcotic was found on the premises, it said that this clearly constituted a drug offense, and a urine test was performed as required.
However, it explained that hair follicle testing is not carried out unless prosecutors deem it necessary. In situations where a suspect refuses to provide a urine sample but testing is determined to be necessary, the police can apply to the District Prosecutor's Office for a court-ordered mandatory collection of urine or hair samples for further forensic analysis, said the CIC.
Below is the live stream posted by Toyz on Monday:
