US Department of Justice on Thursday revealed that five including doctors and an assistant of “Friends” star Matthew Perry were arrested in a case related to his death due to a ketamine overdose.
In a press briefing, US Attorney Martin Estrada said that the accused were operating under a “broad underground criminal network” and made money by selling the Hollywood actor ketamine, US media outlets reported.
“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,’” said Attorney Estrada.
“These defendants 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. In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his well being,” he added.
Perry, best known for playing Chandler Bing in the top-rated Hollywood television comedy ‘Friends,’ was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on October 29 last year, at the age of 54.
According to the US Attorney, doctor Salvador Plasencia and drug trafficker Jasveen Sangha are the prime suspects in the investigation.
Read more: ‘Multiple people’ to be charged in connection to Matthew Perry’s death
They allegedly worked with doctor Mark Chavez, Matthew Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa and a “broker” identified as Erik Fleming to sell ketamine to the ‘Friends’ actor.
As per the US Department of Justice’s investigations, the suspects sold ketamine worth $55,000 in cash to Perry over a two-month period in 2023.
In one instance Plasencia mocked Perry in a text message in 2023 for his excessive consumption of the drug.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” he wrote in a text message.
Doctor Salvador Plasencia once injected Matthew Perry with illegal ketamine and watched the Hollywood actor “freeze up and his blood pressure spike,” Estrada alleged.
Despite his condition, Plasencia left additional ketamine for Iwamasa to administer to Perry with him having no medical training.
Martin Estrada said that all five suspects had full knowledge that they were carrying out an unethical and illegal act.
The suspects discussed the issue with Matthew Perry in their text messages.
Jasveen Sangha, who supplied ketamine that resulted in the ‘Friends’ star’s death, texted Erik Fleming after Perry’s death, “Delete all our messages.”