Did Cops Find Source of Lethal Jackson Drug?

Officials probe Vegas pharmacy for "records of controlled substances" in ongoing manslaughter investigation

Michael Jackson search warrants are starting to resemble a certain fast-food franchise: By the end of the case, it's quite possible there may be billions served.

Today's special was dished out to the Applied Pharmacy Services Building in Las Vegas, where the Drug Enforcement Administration's finest did some probing on behalf of the warrant-issuing Los Angeles Police Department, ostensibly to bolster the ongoing manslaughter investigation into Dr. Conrad Murray.

"Unfortunately, all I can tell you is that we're looking for documents," DEA Assistant Special Agent Mike Flanagan said.

DEA spokesman Jose Martinez told E! News that the DEA, LAPD and Las Vegas Police Department were all involved in today's search for "records related to controlled substances."

As for why the search went down where it did...

While Murray's attorney, Ed Chernoff, told E! News he had "no comment" on the search or the doctor's link to the pharmacy, the Associated Press reports that Murray bought propofol—the drug many believe to have caused Jackson's fatal reaction—from the apothecary.

The one piece of good news for Murray: Records reportedly show that he purchased the drug legally.

While officials did not specify what other records authorities were looking for, it's possible that prescriptions and shipping information sent to Murray or Jackson—potentially under aliases—were on their must-find list.

About 14 DEA agents, accompanied by LVPD, arrived at the building just after 9 a.m. this morning. They spent nearly two hours inside, ultimately leaving with a small box, a briefcase and several black folders.

Martinez confirmed that the compound pharmacy was served with a notice of inspection along with the search warrant this morning, but he did not disclose any specifics as to how the pharmacy was connected to their investigation.

Meanwhile, E! News has learned this isn't the first time Applied Services has faced scrutiny.

"The pharmacy had one complaint against it in 2008," says Carolyn Cramer, an attorney for the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy. The board regulates pharmacies like Applied Services.

According to a copy of the complaint and the board's ruling obtained by E! News, Applied was ordered to pay fees and court costs totaling $1,225 and send one of its fledgling pharmacists for training on patient counseling, pharmaceutical calculations and "prevention of pharmacy errors." Owner Timothy Lopez was also ordered to document its patient counseling and revamp the way the pharmacy handled its customers.

—Additional reporting by Art Harris

(Originally published on Aug. 11, 2009 at 12:05 p.m. PT)