Corey Haim drug fraud ring busted

An arrest has been made in the investigation into a prescription drug fraud ring linked to the death of 80′s movie star Corey Haim, the California Attorney General’s office confirmed Wednesday.

“We can confirm that an arrest was made during the course of our investigation, though we cannot provide further details at this time,” a statement from Attorney General Jerry Brown’s press office said.

Brown’s office is conducting a probe of 38-year-old Haim’s death because an unauthorized prescription in his name was found during a probe of fraudulent drug-prescription pads in San Diego.

Jerry Brown, who is running for California governor, said last week the prescription drug ring under investigation operates by ordering prescription drug pads from authorized vendors using stolen doctor identities.

The pads are sold on the street to prescription drug addicts or dealers.

The Los Angeles County Coroner has said four prescription drug bottles with Haim’s name on them were found in his apartment, but no illicit drugs, and there was no sign of foul play.

Haim, who starred in “The Lost Boys” and several other big 1980s movies before battling financial and drug problems for decades, died March 10.

Pharmacy records reveal that in the past year, Haim received thousands of dangerous pills from dozens of doctors, Brown has said.

“How many people go to 10 or 15 or 20 doctors and then run around to 10, 12 and more pharmacies to go fulfill them and sometimes two different doctors in the same day?” Brown asked last week on HLN’s Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell. Haim filled prescriptions for Vicodin, Valium and Oxycontin, Brown said.

“If he took all the pills that our records show he was prescribed over the last year and three months, he took very damaging assaults on his body.”

Corey Haim’s last film was American Sunset, a picture with echoes of Saw, for which he was paid US$75,000. The movie’s writer-producer, Jackie Giroux, says Haim was routinely drug-tested during the four week shoot last May and that, although Haim was a heavy smoker, he never touched alcohol and showed up to the set on time.

Haim had been living with his mother, Judy Haim, in California, and helping her as she underwent treatment for breast cancer. The two had always enjoyed a close relationship, with his mother often joining her son on the sets of his films. It was Judy who made the 911 call.

Haim was laid to rest in Toronto on Tuesday during a private funeral ceremony. Corey Feldman did not attend the service because Haim’s mother wanted to keep it as private as possible.