LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – An Arizona man has been arrested on drug and weapons charges as part of an investigation into the 2018 overdose death of rapper Mac Miller, police said on Wednesday, the second person apprehended in connection with the high profile case.
Ryan Reavis, 36, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona is pictured in this undated handout booking photo obtained by Reuters on September 25, 2019. Lake Havasu City Police Department/Handout via REUTERS
Ryan Reavis, 36, was taken into custody earlier this week after police said they found marijuana, drug paraphernalia, pills, a doctor’s prescription pad, three guns and large amounts of ammunition at his home in Lake Havasu City on the Arizona-California state line.
Reavis was ordered held on $50,000 cash-only bond during an initial court appearance. It was not immediately clear if he had retained an attorney.
Detective Chris Angus of the Lake Havasu City Police Department said Reavis was arrested on a warrant obtained by agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI as part of their investigation into Miller’ fatal overdose.
Angus declined to elaborate on the accusations against Reavis. He was not charged with causing the rapper’s death.
Earlier this month 28-year-old Cameron James Pettit was arrested in Los Angeles on federal drug trafficking charges. Prosecutors said he supplied counterfeit oxycodone laced with fentanyl to Miller two days prior to the musician’s death.
It was not immediately clear if investigators had established any link between Pettit and Reavis.
Miller, a 26-year-old musician and producer born Malcolm James McCormick, was found unresponsive at his home in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sept. 7, 2018 and later pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy determined that Miller had suffered an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol.
Fentanyl is a cheap, relatively easy-to-synthesize opioid painkiller 50 times more potent than heroin that has played a major role in a devastating U.S. opioid crisis.
The Pittsburgh-born Miller first gained a following for his party-style songs while still a teenager and topped the Billboard album charts with his 2011 debut album, “Blue Slide Park.”
Miller was also a sought-after producer, using the pseudonym Larry Fisherman, and was posthumously nominated for a Grammy for his final album, “Swimming.” He spoke openly of his drug addiction in interviews and in song lyrics.
Miller and pop superstar Ariana Grande dated for about two years, breaking up in May 2018. Grande, 26, sings affectionately about him in her hit single “thank u, next,” referring to him by his given name Malcolm.
Reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by David Schwartz in Phoenix; Editing by Tom Brown