Prosecutors have arrested a man in connection with the death of rapper Mac Miller — accusing him of selling the musician counterfeit drugs two days before his overdose death.
Authorities nabbed Cameron James Pettit, 23, on Wednesday morning, charging the Hollywood Hills man with supplying Mac Miller — real name Malcolm James McCormick — with counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl.
According to the criminal complaint, Pettit provided McCormick with pain reliever oxycodone, cocaine and the sedative Xanax in the early hours of Sept. 5, 2018.
Two days later, the 26-year-old rapper was found dead in his home — the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner ruling he died from a fatal overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
Opioid overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in New York City and the US, according to the NYC Department of Health.
Pettit expressed remorse after Miller’s death was reported in the media, texting a friend saying, “I am not great… Most likely I will die in jail,” according to the affidavit.
Pettit was arrested by special agents from the DEA Fusion Task Force and is expected to make his initial appearance in District Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon.
He is facing one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
“While the death of any victim of the opioid epidemic is tragic, today’s arrest is another success for the DEA’s HIDTA Fusion Task Force,” Agent Daniel C. Comeaux with DEA’s Los Angeles division said in a statement.
“Let our message be clear, if you peddle illegal drugs and kill someone, the DEA will be the voice of the victim. We will not rest until you face the justice system.”