According to police reports, 13 bags of cocaine were found into singer Boy George's apartment from New York City, after the inspectors' search.

Boy George was arrested last week by policemen responding to a report of a burglary at his luxury Manhattan home, made by George at 3.15am (local time).

"The call was about a possible burglary. Police arrived there, and they saw in plain view an amount of cocaine near a computer. They also recovered another larger quantity of cocaine at the location," a police spokesman said. He also mentioned there was a woman at the apartment, but did not describe her relationship to George.

According to Manhattan District Attorney's office spokeswoman Barbara Thompson, the singer, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was released after being charged with possession of a controlled substance, allegedly more than five grams of cocaine. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years of prison.

His lawyer, Lou Freeman, stated: "He's a very social person. He has a lot of people over to his apartment."

After attaining global success as a member of pop group Culture Club, during the '80s, he became a drug addict, and an American friend who was visiting his London mansion was found dead after a night of using heroin.

George's brother went on UK national television and blew the whistle on him, in a desperate attempt to get him to leave the world of drugs.

George had recently collapsed on stage at a benefit concert. He finally quit using heroin in 1987, after an ultimatum was given to him by his doctor: either he'd stop using drugs, or he'd die in less than three months.