Multiple arrests have been made in connection with the death of Matthew Perry.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced at a press conference Thursday morning that charges have been filed against two doctors, Perry’s assistant and someone known as “the Ketamine Queen” for allegedly supplying him with ketamine before his death.
A criminal investigation was launched after the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office determined that Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine.” Friends Star was found dead in his swimming pool on October 28, 2023.
🚨 Federal charges filed against multiple individuals
Estrada said the investigation “uncovered a vast underground criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of ketamine to Mr. Perry and others.”
“This network included a live-in aide, several intermediaries, two physicians and a major source of drugs known as ‘the Ketamine Queen,'” he said. “We have five defendants charged in this case. These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction problems to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong, they knew what they were doing put Mr. Perry in grave danger, but they did it anyway. Ultimately, these defendants were more interested in profiting from Mr. Perry than in looking out for his well-being.”
Multiple agencies are investigating Perry’s death, including the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
➡️ Perry relapsed into addiction in the fall of 2023
According to investigators, Perry, who had spoken openly about his struggles with addiction, relapsed into his addiction before his death.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said at Thursday’s news conference that the actor became addicted to “intravenous ketamine” while seeking treatment for anxiety and depression. Doctors refused to increase his dosage, so he went elsewhere.
“As Matthew Perry’s ketamine addiction grew, he wanted more of it and he wanted it faster and cheaper, which led him to street dealers who sold the ketamine that ultimately led to his death,” she said, adding that the five individuals charged “are responsible for the death of Matthew Perry.”
⚖️ Who is accused of Perry’s death?
A press release from the DOJ reveals that three of the five individuals have already pleaded guilty or agreed to a guilty plea. Here are the individuals charged:
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Jasveen Sangha, also known as “the Ketamine Queen”: The indictment alleges she supplied the ketamine that killed Perry. She was arrested Thursday and is awaiting arraignment.
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Doctor Salvador Plasencia: He is accused of distributing ketamine to Perry and the actor’s personal assistant, “outside the normal course of his profession and without a legitimate medical purpose, on at least seven occasions.” He was arrested Thursday and is awaiting arraignment.
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Erik Fleming: He distributed the ketamine to Perry’s assistant after receiving it from Sangha. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. In court documents, he admitted to giving 50 vials of ketamine to Perry’s assistant, half of which were given four days before Perry’s death.
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Kenneth Iwamasa: Perry’s live-in assistant admitted to “repeatedly administering ketamine to Perry without medical training.” He injected Perry multiple times on the day the actor died. Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. Plasencia allegedly taught him how to inject Perry with ketamine.
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Doctor Mark Chavez: In his plea agreement, he admitted selling ketamine to Plasencia and has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
Sangha is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining a drug house, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine. If convicted on all charges, she faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison.
Plasencia is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine, and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each ketamine-related charge and up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of falsifying records.
📱 More details released in indictment
According to the press release, Plasencia conspired with Chavez “over the supply, price and availability of ketamine to sell to Perry and Iwamasa.” Plasencia texted Chavez about the sale of Perry ketamine, writing, “I wonder how much this idiot will pay” and “Let’s [sic] “discover it.”
Beginning in mid-October, Iwamasa also bought ketamine from Fleming and Sangha, the release said. After Perry’s death hit the news, Sangha texted Fleming, “Delete all our messages.”
According to the indictment, Sangha was aware of the danger of ketamine as she sold the drug to another victim, Cody McLaury, just hours before he overdosed in August 2019.
🔍 What is ketamine?
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that has hallucinogenic effects, according to the DEA. Ketamine therapy is an increasingly popular mental health treatment and is legal for use by licensed physicians. Perry’s autopsy report noted that the actor underwent ketamine therapy to treat anxiety and depression. However, the coroner said that “the ketamine in his system at the time of death could not have come from that IV therapy,” as it was administered by a physician a week and a half before his death.
Ketamine is also a popular street drug and can be used recreationally. It first became popular as a club drug in the 1990s for its psychedelic effects. The levels of ketamine in Perry’s system at the time of his death were so high that it was within the range used for general anesthesia during surgery, the coroner said.
📖 Other factors that contributed to Perry’s death
Perry’s death was ruled an accident — “drug and drowning related.” The Los Angeles County coroner said drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid addiction, were listed as contributing factors. Perry had been candid about his years of opioid addiction. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
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