Matthew Perry Death Leads To Multiple Arrests

In an August 15 press conference, the Department of Justice announced that an investigation revealed a “broad underground criminal network,” which helped lead to the arrests. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada revealed that two doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, supplied Matthew Perry with a substantial amount of ketamine, a drug which is a DEA-approved medical product as an injectable, short-acting anesthetic, but has seen a spike in usage as an illicit recreational drug.

Estrada accused Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, as well as Plasencia and Chavez, of “taking advantage” of Matthew Perry, who had been transparent with his years-long struggle with drug abuse. “These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves,” Estrada said. “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.”

According to Estrada, Perry fell victim to a “broad underground criminal network,” which ultimately cost the Friends actor his life. In addition to Perry’s live-in assistant and the two doctors, the network also included a large supplier of ketamine, Jasveen Sangha, also known as the “Ketamine Queen.” Sangha has long been rumored as the go-to drug dealer for celebrities and the wealthiest residents around Los Angeles.

While revealing the inner workings of the network, Estrada outlined how each person preyed on Perry. Before the actor’s death in the fall of 2023, Plasencia is accused of selling 20 vials of ketamine to Perry in exchange for $55,000. In the midst of the drug deals, Plasencia even appeared to mock Perry in a text message exchange in 2023, writing, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”

For her part, Sangha is accused of selling 50 vials of ketamine to Perry in exchange for $11,000. During a search of Sangha’s home, authorities recovered 80 vials of ketamine, thousands of pills, methamphetamine, and cocaine. If convicted, Sangha faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Following Matthew Perry’s autopsy, it was determined that his death was an “accidental overdose.” The coroner also noted contributing factors, including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine in the actor’s death. However, in May 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department revealed that it was working in partnership with the Department of Justice to investigate the source of the ketamine involved in Perry’s death.

Matthew Perry first rose to fame at the age of 24 after being cast in the role of Chandler Bing in Friends. The Massachusetts native became the youngest lead cast member of the popular sitcom, which aired 235 episodes over the course of its 10-year run. Thanks to his $1 million per episode salary at the height of Friends‘ popularity, Perry’s net worth was an estimated $120 million at the time of his death.

In Perry’s memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he detailed his early struggle with addiction, becoming an alcoholic at the age of 14. Following a jet ski accident in 1997, Perry then became addicted to Vicodin, which eventually forced the actor to enter a rehab facility, though he’d struggle with Vicodin-related relapses for years. At the time of his death, Perry was allegedly undergoing a ketamine therapy treatment to combat his struggles with depression and anxiety.

Source: ABC News