Five people have been arrested this morning as part of a drug investigation into Friends star Matthew Perry's death.
The US Department of Justice shared in a press conference on Thursday (August 15) that investigations into Perry's death revealed a 'broad underground criminal network' that 'took advantage' of the actor by selling him ketamine.
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The five suspects have been revealed to be:
- Jasveen Sangha, coined as 'The Ketamine Queen,' who's been accused of selling Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him.
- Dr Salvador Plasencia, a licensed medical doctor who allegedly distributed approximately 20 vials of ketamine to Perry.
- Dr Mark Chavez, another licensed medical doctor who helped obtain the ketamine.
- Erik Fleming, a 'broker' and acquaintance of Perry's who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
- Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's live-in assistant who worked with Sangha and Chavez to obtain the ketamine and who administered it to him, despite not having medical training.
According to the United States Attorney's Office, after learning about Perry's interest in ketamine, Plasencia contacted Chavez (who previously operated a ketamine clinic) on means to obtain the drug to sell to the actor.
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They revealed that in text messages between the two last year, Plasencia discussed how much to charge Perry for the drug, writing "I wonder how much this moron will pay."
He then added, "Lets [sic] find out."
The indictment further revealed that in October 2023, the month Perry passed away, his assistant was waiting for a stash of ketamine from Sangha to arrive.
On October 24, 2023, Fleming allegedly advised Iwamasa that the ketamine was "on its way to our girl," referring to Sangha. Perry died four days later.
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Moreover, when the news of Perry's death broke on October 28, 2023, Sangha reportedly texted Flemming: "Delete all our messages."
Authorities also shared that the five defendants tried to cover up what they were doing with code, calling ketamine 'Dr. Pepper,' 'cans,' and 'bots'.
According to the US Attorney's Office, Sangha has been distributing ketamine and other illegal drugs from her stash house in North Hollywood since 'at least 2019.'
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They also shared that Sangha was aware of the danger of ketamine and reported that in August 2019, she sold a batch to Cody McLaury hours before his death from an overdose.
When a family member of McLaury's reached out to Sangha saying that her ketamine killed him, she reportedly conducted a Google search for "Can ketamine be listed as a cause of death [?]," per the US Attorney's Office.
Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, 2023. Traces of ketamine were found in his system, but at the time it was ruled as an accidental overdose.
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The Los Angeles Police Department announced in May 2024 that it would be investigating the source of the ketamine found in his system.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can call American Addiction Centers on (313) 209-9137 24/7, or contact them through their website.
Topics: Matthew Perry
Yasmeen Hamadeh