Meth addict mayor Gong Weiguo, China's answer to Rob Ford, admits to drug use

Official media have confirmed that Gong Weiguo, mayor of the city of Linxiang in Hunan Province, has been removed from his office and arrested on suspicion of drug use. Following the release of urine test results, Gong himself also confirmed the rumors that have surrounded him for weeks. 

Gong, 43, had not been seen since his last public appearance on the morning of April 7. Linxiang's Party Secretary Huang Junjun told official media that Gong had request 40 days' leave to treat his "depression" in a Guangzhou hospital. 

Appointed mayor in December 2011, Gong reportedly wilted under the pressures of his new position and sought solace in drugs. Huang said that Gong's mood had been "unstable" recently and he was "irritable" on a daily basis, often experiencing outbursts of bad temper. 

Mayor Gong was dismissed after he had hallucinations in a local Karaoke room and called the police, believing himself under threat. When police arrived, he was naked and slouched over a table laden with drugs. 

[Image via Sing Tao]