Michael Jackson case: Detectives were looking for powerful drug at doctor's home, office

Los Angeles police detectives and federal drug agents were looking for a powerful anesthetic that may have played a role in Michael Jackson’s death when they executed search warrants on Dr. Conrad Murray's Las Vegas home, office and storage unit, according to copies of the warrants released Thursday.

The investigators who spent more than eight hours combing through Murray’s properties were targeting an array of documents related to the treatment of Jackson, including “records, shipping orders, distribution lists, use records relating to the purchase transfer, receiving, ordering, delivery and storage of propofol,” read the warrant signed by a Nevada District Court judge.

Propofol is a general anesthetic that renders surgical patients unconscious in seconds. It is intended for use in surgical suites and operating rooms. Police recovered large quantities of it from Jackson’s home and the Drug Enforcement Administration has been in contract with the drug manufacturer in an attempt to track a specific lot number of the medicine, which is also known by its brand name, Diprivan.

It is unclear from inventories of the searches if authorities recovered any documents related to the anesthetic. An inventory from Murray’s medical office submitted to the court said detectives seized copies of five computer hard drives, a portable “thumb” drive, binders containing information about Murray’s medical supplies and equipment and a CD labeled with a pseudonym Jackson used, Omar Arnold.

A source with knowledge of the search said the disc contained records of an electrocardiogram of Jackson’s heart. The search warrant cleared investigators to seize information in the names of 19 different aliases Jackson may have used in health matters.

At Murray’s home, searchers took an iPhone, copies of information from another mobile phone and a BlackBerry, and a copy of a personal computer hard drive, according to an inventory. No items were taken from the storage unit, investigators wrote. The warrants also indicated investigators are considering a wider range of charges against Murray than the manslaughter count they referred to in documents filed last week in a search of the doctor’s Houston properties.

A detective wrote that he and colleagues were looking for evidence “demonstrating the crimes” that included excessive prescribing, prescribing to an addict, unprofessional conduct and manslaughter. Those charges include violations of the penal code and the state business and professions code. Murray was performing CPR on Jackson when paramedics arrived at his Holmby Hills chateau June 25. He has said through his lawyer that he didn’t administer anything to the performer that “should have” caused his death and is eagerly awaiting toxicology results to be released next week.