Police: Drug Arrests Connected to Hoffman Death Investigation
4 arrested as police continue to investigate actor's death.
Feb. 5, 2014— -- Police arrested four people on drug charges in connection with the death investigation of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, police told ABC News.
Investigators received a tip that the four suspects – three men and one woman – were dealing heroin out of a New York City apartment. Police executed search warrants in three units of a Mott Street apartment and found more than 350 bags of heroin.
Robert Vineberg, 57, and Thomas Cushman, 48, were both charged with felony criminal possession of a controlled substance. Vineberg was also charged with criminal use of drug paraphernalia.
Max Rosenbloom and Juliana Luchkiw, both 22, were charged with criminal use of drug paraphernalia, criminal use of controlled substance, and unlawful possession of marijuana.
The exact connection between the arrests and Hoffman’s death is unclear – and the heroin recovered during Tuesday’s raid did not include the “Ace of Spades” labels of the drug bags found in Hoffman’s apartment.
Police are currently testing the recovered heroin to determine the heroin’s potency and whether the drugs were laced with another substance.
The arrests come four days after a friend found the “Capote” actor dead inside his Manhattan apartment with a syringe in his arm. Investigators recovered multiple types of drugs from Hoffman’s apartment – more than 50 bags of heroin, along with syringes, a charred spoon and various prescription medications, including a blood pressure drug and a muscle relaxant, law enforcement officials have said.
Investigators also found the addiction-treatment drug buprenorphine, a medication used to treat addiction to heroin and other narcotics.
Officials initially wondered if the heroin found at Hoffman’s apartment contained fentanyl, a potent synthetic morphine linked to 22 suspected overdose deaths in western Pennsylvania. While official toxicology results are forthcoming – they’ll likely be released next month – preliminary tests of the heroin showed no traces of fentanyl, NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis told ABC News.
Hoffman’s autopsy results could also be released Wednesday.
Investigators have determined that the “Capote” star made six ATM transactions for a total of $1,200 inside a supermarket near his home the day before his death, law enforcement officials said.
Hoffman’s death has shaken the acting world. Adept in movies and the stage, Hoffman gained recognition in supporting roles before breaking through to stardom. Broadway theaters will dim their marquee lights at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday in his memory.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.