5 charged in ‘broad, underground’ drug bust related to Matthew Perry’s death

Authorities say they’ve uncovered a “broad, underground criminal network” related to the accidental drug overdose death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry and have charged five people accused in the operation. 

The 54-year-old actor was found dead at his Los Angeles home in October. 

The Los Angeles County medical examiner found that Perry died as a result of “the acute effects of ketamine.”

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said at a Thursday news conference in Los Angeles that following Perry’s death, the Justice Department launched “an in depth, wide-ranging investigation” that “revealed a broad, underground criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of ketamine to Mr. Perry and others.”

“This network included a live-in assistant, various go-betweens, two medical doctors and a major source of drug supply known as, ‘the ketamine queen,'” Estrada said.

Five individuals who authorities said played a “key role” in Perry’s death have been charged, according to Justice Department officials. 

“Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety, and went to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine,” Drug Enforcemant Administration Administrator Anne Milgram said.

“When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw Perry as a way to make quick money,” Milgram said.

The doctors, Milgram said, “violated the oath they took to care for their patients. Instead of ‘do no harm,’ they did harm so that they could make more money without performing any medical evaluation or monitoring. They supplied Matthew Perry with large amounts of ketamine in exchange for large sums of money.”

Among those arrested include two doctors: Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez.

Plasencia, a Santa Monica physician, is accused of contacting Chavez in order to help Perry obtain ketamine. Chavez, a San Diego doctor who previously operated a ketamine clinic, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Central District of California. Plascencia faces up to 120 years in federal prison.

Other defendants include Jasveen Sangha, who authorities dubbed “The Ketamine Queen.” The ketamine that Sangha distributed to Perry caused the performer’s death, officials said. Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and Eric Fleming were also charged.

Fleming pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, while Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. The actor’s then-assistant admitted to “repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training” including the day he died, officials said. 

The five defendants, Estrada said, “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 anyways.”

—Updated at 1:58 p.m.