LOS ANGELES _ The son of one of Cher's employees was arrested Thursday on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance for sale, the same day the award-winning actress and singer's Malibu home was searched by law enforcement.
Authorities took Donovan Ruiz, 23, into custody in connection with a two-week narcotics investigation that began when someone died after overdosing on fentanyl in Thousand Oaks, Ventura County sheriff's Capt. Garo Kuredjian said.
Authorities say Ruiz supplied fentanyl, a potent opioid that's 50 times stronger than heroin, to the victim. The white powder is sometimes mixed into other drugs to produce a stronger high, Kuredjian said.
Ruiz is being held in Ventura County jail on $500,000 bail and is expected to appear in court Monday.
After he was arrested, authorities served a search warrant on Cher's multimillion-dollar home in the 25000 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, where Ruiz also lives.
"During this investigation, detectives were able to seize evidence related to Ruiz's selling of illegal controlled substances," Kuredjian said.
It is not clear what was seized from the residence.
Cher likely was not home during the raid; she was scheduled to perform in Australia on Friday and Saturday. The pop superstar released her ABBA cover album, "Dancing Queen," on Friday. The album follows her appearance in the sequel film "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" and is based on the music of the Swedish pop group.
