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A doctor and a drug dealer charged with supplying thousands of dollars worth of ketamine to Matthew Perry in the month before his death referred to him as “Chandler” and a “moron”, text messages have revealed.
The pair are among five people charged earlier this month in connection with 54-year-old Perry’s death. The Friends star was discovered in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023.
Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa; acquaintance Erik Fleming; doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez; and Jasveen Sangha, a north Hollywood woman known as “The Ketamine Queen” were named as defendants by the US Attorney’s Office.
Text messages between the group showed that they allegedly conspired behind Perry’s back to get him to pay top dollar for the drug, which prosecutors said Perry had become increasingly addicted to in the months before he died.
Law enforcement agencies executed search warrants, and seized computers, phones and other electronic equipment to determine who was responsible for the supply of the drug.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia asked Chavez in a message, a month before the actor’s death. He followed up: “Let’s find out.”
After meeting Perry, Plasencia, who officials allege administered ketamine to Perry, described the experience as a “bad movie”.
In another instance, while coordinating a $5,000 sale of 25 ketamine vials, Fleming, 54, referred to Perry “using the name of a well-known character that [Perry] portrayed in a television series,” his plea agreement stated, according to the Los Angeles Times. Law enforcement officials told the outlet that he called the actor “Chandler”.
Prosecutors allege that Sangha ripped Perry off by initially quoting Fleming $160 a vial but charging Perry $220 a vial. Fleming pocketed an additional $500 in the transaction.
In a statement announcing the charges, US Attorney Martin Estrada said: “These defendants cared more about profiting off of Mr Perry than caring for his well-being.
“Drug dealers selling dangerous substances are gambling with other people’s lives over greed. This case, along with our many other prosecutions of drug-dealers who cause death, send a clear message that we will hold drug-dealers accountable for the deaths they cause.”
Fleming pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death earlier this month. In court, he admitted to providing Perry with the ketamine dose that killed him.
Iwamasa, 59, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, and admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training, including on the day that Perry died.
Chavez, 54, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. The other defendants have been charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine to the actor.
A medical examiner later ruled that Perry died from acute effects of ketamine. An autopsy report found that the amount of the ketamine in Perry’s blood was in the range used for general anesthesia during surgery.
Perry first started using the drug to treat depression and anxiety at a local clinic. Treating depression with ketamine is a new form of therapy but has showed some promising results, The Times reported.
Still, the therapy can be harmful, Dr Robert McCarron, a professor of psychiatry, told the outlet.
“Ketamine has the potential to harm someone or kill someone if not monitored carefully and used in an approved therapeutic way,” he said.
Following the news of Perry’s death, his five Friends co-stars – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow – released a joint statement asking for time to “process this unfathomable loss”.
They wrote: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
