The death of actor Corey Haim this week was tied to an illegal prescription drug ring, California Attorney General Jerry Brown announced Friday afternoon.

Brown's office stated an “illegal and massive prescription-drug ring” was linked to the death of Corey Haim” after an “unauthorized” prescription was found under his name that was somehow obtained from a fraudulent blank-prescription-pad ring in San Diego. The ring, Brown's office alleges, is the source of as many as 5,000 illicit prescriptions.

“Corey Haim's death is yet another tragedy linked to the growing problem of prescription-drug abuse,” Brown stated. “This problem is increasingly linked to criminal organizations, like the illegal and massive prescription-drug ring under investigation. It's a serious public health problem.”

The ring allegedly sold to addicts or dealers who use them to buy and then sell the drugs, Brown's office stated. Doctors whose names appear on the pads are not believed to be involved in the ring. Rather, their identities were allegedly stolen to facilitate the counterfeit pads.

Although Haim's death was initially thought to be the result of an overdose, a subsequent coroner's report indicated an enlarged heart might have been the culprit. (Apparently, an overdose has not been ruled out, however).

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