Five individuals, including two doctors from California, a notable drug dealer referred to as the “ketamine queen,” and the personal assistant to the late actor Matthew Perry, face charges related to his accidental overdose death, as announced by federal prosecutors on Thursday.
Matthew Perry, aged 54, was discovered unresponsive in his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that his death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine, an anesthetic with psychedelic properties.
An 18-count superseding indictment reveals that Jasveen Sangha, a 41-year-old resident of North Hollywood, supplied ketamine to Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Iwamasa reportedly injected Perry with the drug on the day of his demise. The syringe used was provided by Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who had also previously distributed ketamine to both Perry and his assistant.
Sangha and Plasencia were arrested in Southern California on Thursday and each faces a single count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, along with additional drug-related charges for Sangha. Sangha, who possesses dual citizenship in the U.S. and the U.K., was arrested in March in a separate federal drug case but later released on a $100,000 bond.
The legal representatives for both Sangha and Plasencia have not responded to requests for comment.
Iwamasa, the 59-year-old assistant to Perry, pleaded guilty on August 7 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death, admitting to frequently injecting Perry without medical training, including on the day of his death.
Dr. Mark Chavez, a 54-year-old physician from San Diego, intends to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine, acknowledging that he sold the drug to Plasencia, including quantities diverted from his former clinic.
The fifth defendant, 54-year-old Erik Fleming, identified in court documents as an acquaintance of Perry, confessed to providing the ketamine that caused Perry’s death, which he obtained from Sangha.
The family of Keith Morrison, who is Perry’s stepfather and a correspondent for “Dateline,” expressed their appreciation for the law enforcement efforts. They stated, “We were and still are heartbroken by Matthew’s death, but it has helped to know law enforcement has taken his case very seriously. We look forward to justice taking its course.”
In May, Los Angeles police revealed they were collaborating with federal authorities to trace the source of the ketamine ingested by Perry. Ketamine has been associated with recreational use for years and is currently gaining attention as a potential treatment option for depression. Many clinics offer it as part of therapy for various mental health issues.
Perry had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety, with his last treatment occurring over a week before his death. The medical examiner indicated that the ketamine levels found in Perry’s system could not have originated from that therapy due to the drug’s short half-life.
The concentration of ketamine in his body was significantly high, comparable to doses used for general anesthesia during surgery, according to the medical examiner’s findings. The coroner ultimately classified his death as accidental, with contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the presence of buprenorphine, a medication for opioid use disorder.
Perry, renowned for his role as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” was candid about his struggles with opioid addiction and alcoholism, which he detailed in his 2022 memoir. At the time of his death, he had been sober for 19 months, as per the medical examiner’s report.
Investigations into drug-related deaths often lead law enforcement to charge individuals involved in supplying drugs. Historical parallels include the 2009 case of Michael Jackson, where Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for administering a fatal drug dose, and recent charges against four men linked to the heroin overdose of actor Michael K. Williams in 2021.