The billionaire co-founder of the semiconductor manufacturer Broadcom and his girlfriend have been arrested in Las Vegas on drug trafficking charges after police say they discovered cases of heroin, cocaine and other drugs in the couple's hotel room after a medical emergency.
As the gossip site TMZ first reported, citing law enforcement sources, the incident began unfolding on Tuesday when controversial tech tycoon and philanthropist Henry Nicholas III, 59, was unable to enter his room at the four-star Encore Hotel and called security.
When hotel personnel gained access into the room, they reportedly found Nicholas' girlfriend, Ashley Fargo, lying unresponsive with a partially inflated balloon sticking out of her mouth.
Paramedics who were summoned to the scene were able to revive Fargo, after which hotel security began questioning Nicholas about the balloon and canisters found in the room.
Nicholas reportedly admitted that the receptacles contained nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas.
Encore personnel also observed several cases in the room that looked similar to those used to transport weapons, and contacted police.
Responding officer opened the cases and discovered a large quantity of marijuana, as well as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy pills, which were stamped with the likeness of Winnie the Pooh, TMZ reported.
Nicholas, whose current net worth is estimated at $3.1billion, according to Forbes, and his girlfriend, whose ex-husband is a banking heir, were arrested on felony drug trafficking charges.
This is not Nicholas' first run-in with the law: in 2008, the flamboyant former CEO of Broadcom was indicted on securities fraud, conspiracy and federal narcotics trafficking charges, which were all later dismissed.
Nicholas helped launch Broadcom in 1991 with his business partner Henry Samueli and became a billionaire when the chipmaker went public seven years later.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ounder-arrested-drug-trafficking-charges.html
As the gossip site TMZ first reported, citing law enforcement sources, the incident began unfolding on Tuesday when controversial tech tycoon and philanthropist Henry Nicholas III, 59, was unable to enter his room at the four-star Encore Hotel and called security.
When hotel personnel gained access into the room, they reportedly found Nicholas' girlfriend, Ashley Fargo, lying unresponsive with a partially inflated balloon sticking out of her mouth.
Paramedics who were summoned to the scene were able to revive Fargo, after which hotel security began questioning Nicholas about the balloon and canisters found in the room.
Nicholas reportedly admitted that the receptacles contained nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas.
Encore personnel also observed several cases in the room that looked similar to those used to transport weapons, and contacted police.
Responding officer opened the cases and discovered a large quantity of marijuana, as well as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy pills, which were stamped with the likeness of Winnie the Pooh, TMZ reported.
Nicholas, whose current net worth is estimated at $3.1billion, according to Forbes, and his girlfriend, whose ex-husband is a banking heir, were arrested on felony drug trafficking charges.
This is not Nicholas' first run-in with the law: in 2008, the flamboyant former CEO of Broadcom was indicted on securities fraud, conspiracy and federal narcotics trafficking charges, which were all later dismissed.
Nicholas helped launch Broadcom in 1991 with his business partner Henry Samueli and became a billionaire when the chipmaker went public seven years later.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ounder-arrested-drug-trafficking-charges.html
