Volkswagen's chief marketing officer and head of product strategy for China, Jochen Sengpiehl, has been deported after testing positive for cannabis, according to media reports.
Sengpiehl, 57, was mandated to receive a routine drug test when returning to Volkswagen headquarters in Beijing from a holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand, about two weeks ago, according to Jiemian.com.
After a positive result for cannabis, he was detained, and then deported and banned from entering the country for violating Chinese law, said the report.
Volkswagen China has yet to respond to the incident.
Sengpiehl, a former executive of Hyundai Motors, a South Korean automotive manufacturer, was named as head of marketing by Volkswagen Group in 2017.
There is zero tolerance in China for cannabis, which became legal in Germany last year and decriminalized in Thailand in 2022. Use can result in a 15-day detention, even for consumption in a foreign country after a positive test by China Customs.
Volkswagen chief marketing officer Jochen Sengpiehl has been banned from entering China permanently.
