Investigation Launched Into Corey Haim's Death and 'Massive' Drug Ring
We recently reported child-actor Corey Haim had obtained a large quantity of prescription drugs just prior to his death earlier this week.
Despite early reports suggesting Haim died of an enlarged heart, the coroner's office has stated the final cause of death won't be available for another six weeks when toxicology reports are completed. They have also begun investigating how Haim was able to get access to such powerful medications, including Oxycontin, Vicodin and Valium.
According to the NYT, one of the prescriptions used to obtain these drugs was a forgery and investigators are looking into a larger issue with drug rings stealing legitimate script pads from doctors and forging prescriptions which are then sold illegally. But it goes even further than that. Here's what California Attorney General Jerry Brown had to say:
“They get prescription drug pads, get illegal drugs, then sell them on the street. You have doctors doing wrong, people pretending to be doctors, and all the criminal intermediaries making the process work.”
Initial police reports into Haim's death stated no illegal or illicit drugs were found in his possession however, as we've learned with high profile cases like Heath Ledger, Anna Nicole Smith, Michael Jackson, and Brittany Murphy, prescription drugs used improperly can have just as deadly consequences.
Haim's agent, who also represents his long-time friend Corey Feldman, Mark Heaslip said Corey was making great strides to wean himself off of drugs, which may have been as many as 50 pills a day. He also said the actor had just begun work with an addiction specialist.
In the days leading up to Corey's death he had complained of having trouble breathing and had a fever between 99 and 101. His mother had thought he was fighting off a cold or flu, but as it turns out these may have been symptoms of his enlarged heart.
Follow Technorati