Doctors, dealers, including “Ketamine Queen”, named in scandal surrounding Matthew Perry’s tragic death

LOS ANGELES (TND) — Authorities say five people have been arrested in connection with a ketamine overdose that claimed the life of actor Matthew Perry.

The five defendants arrested, including two doctors, were part of a comprehensive investigation conducted by federal and local law enforcement agencies.

According to Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, the investigation uncovered a sprawling underground criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of ketamine to Perry and others.

Authorities announced their findings Thursday during a press conference in Los Angeles, detailing the arrests and charges in the case.

The “Friends” actor was found dead in a pool at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023.

The suspects are charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of ketamine resulting in death, operating a drug-related establishment, and altering and falsifying records in connection with a federal investigation. Prosecutors also noted that the suspects are also charged with drug trafficking.

The network uncovered included doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's live-in assistant, and Erik Fleming, an alleged drug dealer who worked for Jasveen Sangha, also known as the “Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles.”

Iwamasa is accused of injecting the actor with the drug on the day of his death, Estrada said. The syringe used in the lethal injection was provided by Plasencia.

“These defendants were more interested in profiting from Mr. Perry than in caring about his well-being,” Estrada said.

Ketamine, a controlled substance found in the actor's body, was not legally prescribed.

An autopsy in December found that the 54-year-old star died from the acute effects of ketamine, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Other factors contributing to Perry's death included drowning, coronary heart disease and the effects of buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid addiction.

Authorities said there was evidence that Perry, who was considered a drug addict and was undergoing treatment, had relapsed into addiction last fall.

DEA Director Anne Milgram told reporters that the celebrity had sought treatment for depression and anxiety, which investigators believe led to his dependence on intravenous ketamine.

“When clinicians refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw Perry as an opportunity to make a quick buck. Dr. Plasencia and Dr. Chavez violated their oath to care for their patients,” Milgram said. “Instead of doing no harm, they did harm to make more money.”

Ketamine has some legal uses, but it is also used illegally. “It is used by people who want to disconnect from reality,” Estrada explains.

Officials said it can cause serious health effects and problems, including loss of consciousness, spikes in blood pressure and breathing problems that can cut off oxygen to the brain.

Plasencia and Sangha, identified as the main defendants in the case, worked with Chavez to obtain ketamine. Chavez is accused of working with Perry's assistant, Iwamasa, to distribute ketamine to Perry over a period of two months.

From September to October, Perry was sold approximately 20 vials of ketamine valued at $55,000.

Estrada claimed that Plasencia saw an “opportunity to profit from Perry.”

The investigator revealed that a vial of ketamine, which costs a doctor $12, was sold to Perry for $2,000.

A text message sent from Plasencia in September read: “I wonder how much this idiot will pay.”

There were indications that Plasencia wanted to be Perry's medication supplier: “As a doctor, I want to be his contact when it comes to medications.”

“She [defendants] “They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew they were putting Mr. Perry at great risk, but they did it anyway. Ultimately, these defendants were more interested in profiting from Mr. Perry than in caring about his well-being,” Estrada said.

The suspects are also accused of attempting to cover up Perry's death.

“On October 28, after reading news reports of Mr. Perry's death, Defendant Sangha texted Defendant Fleming saying, 'Delete all our messages,'” the prosecutor said. “Similarly, after Mr. Perry's death, Defendant Plasencia falsified medical records and notes to make it appear as though his actions were lawful. It was not.”

If convicted, Plasencia faces 120 years in a federal prison, while Sangha could face life in prison.

During the press conference, prosecutors delivered a message to drug traffickers.

“If you are in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable for the deaths you cause,” Estrada said. “You are playing roulette with other people's lives.”

The family of Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison, who is Perry's stepfather, said in a statement to NBC News that they welcomed the charges.

“Matthew's death broke our hearts, and we still do, but it helped us to know that law enforcement took his case very seriously,” the family said. “We look forward to justice being served.”

Perry documented his struggle with addiction in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.”