Five charged over ketamine death of Friends star Matthew Perry

LOS ANGELES – Five people who allegedly supplied ketamine to Friends (1994 to 2004) star Matthew Perry in a bid to exploit his drug addiction for profit have been charged in relation to his death from overdose, American officials said on Aug 15.

The American-Canadian actor died at his luxury Los Angeles home in 2023,

sparking an outpouring of grief from fans around the world.

“These defendants took advantage of Mr Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr Perry, but they did it anyway,” said federal prosecutor Martin Estrada, the United States attorney for the central district of California.

“These defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr Perry than caring for his well-being,” he added.

Charges were levied against two doctors, Perry’s live-in assistant, a broker and a North Hollywood dealer known as “the Ketamine Queen”, who has been linked to the overdose death of another man.

Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the hit television sitcom Friends, was found unresponsive in his swimming pool in October 2023. He was 54.

An autopsy found the cause of his death was “the acute effects of ketamine”, a controlled drug the recovering addict was taking as part of supervised therapy.

‘Drug-selling emporium’

Mr Estrada said Perry had fallen back into addiction in the autumn of 2023, when he began to be supplied by Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, both doctors.

Over two months, they sold him 20 vials of the drug for US$55,000 (S$72,600). Each one cost them as little as US$12, said Mr Estrada.

In one text message, Plasencia wrote: “I wonder how much this moron will pay... Lets (sic) find out.”

Plasencia, 42, who reportedly works in the posh Calabasas neighbourhood outside Los Angeles, knew Perry was spiralling out of control, but carried on.

“On one occasion, he injected Mr Perry with ketamine, and he saw Mr Perry freeze up and his blood pressure spike,” Mr Estrada said. “Despite that, he left additional vials of ketamine for (Perry’s assistant Kenneth) Iwamasa to administer.”

Perry also obtained the drug from Jasveen Sangha, a woman nicknamed “the Ketamine Queen”, through broker Eric Fleming, including the batch that would ultimately kill him. Her home was “a drug-selling emporium” containing methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription drugs like Xanax, officials said.

Plasencia, whose ankles were chained when he appeared in court, denied one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, as well as a raft of other charges. He was released on US$100,000 bail and ordered to inform his patients of the charges he faces. He is due to stand trial on Oct 8 and could be imprisoned for up to 120 years.

Sangha, a dual British- and American citizen, wore a green sweater when she entered not-guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, and other charges. She was denied bail after the judge heard of a jet-set lifestyle that included a trip to Tokyo just two weeks after Perry’s death. She was ordered to stand trial on Oct 15, and could face life behind bars.

The other defendants have either pleaded guilty or agreed to do so in relation to their charges. They face between 10 and 25 years in prison.

‘Exploitation’

Doctors and veterinarians use ketamine as an anaesthetic, and researchers have explored its use as a treatment for depression.

Underground users take it for its hallucinogenic effects, though it can be addictive and dangerous for people with underlying health problems.

Friends, which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive global following and made megastars of previously unknown actors.

Perry’s role as the sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol.

In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon, and underwent multiple operations.

In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing, Perry described going through detox dozens of times.

“I have mostly been sober since 2001,” he wrote, “save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.”

Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram told reporters Perry’s re-entry into destructive drug use began with “unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, and it ended with street dealers who sold him ketamine in unmarked vials”.

“The desperation that led Perry to these individuals was not met with help... but instead, it was met with exploitation.” AFP