Five charged in drug overdose death of "Friends" actor Matthew Perry

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) — Five people have been charged in connection with Hollywood actor Matthew Perry’s fatal drug overdose last year, authorities said on Thursday.

The Emmy-nominated actor, best known for starring as Chandler Bing in the popular TV series “Friends,” died at the age of 54 in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, 2023.

A licensed physician and an alleged drug dealer were arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of Perry, who suffered a fatal ketamine overdose, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in a press release.

In total, five defendants, including two doctors, have been charged in this matter, according to court documents unsealed on Thursday.

Drug trafficker Jasveen Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plasencia are two lead defendants in the case. Prosecutors charged that they worked with Dr. Mark Chavez, Perry’s then assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, and the fifth defendant, Erik Fleming, to distribute ketamine that killed Perry.

“The defendants arrested today are charged in an 18-count superseding indictment returned on Wednesday with distributing ketamine to Perry during the final weeks of the actor’s life,” prosecutors said.

“These defendants cared more about profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada in the press release.

“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,” he noted.

Anne Milgram, administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, also pointed out in the press release that “We allege each of the defendants played a key role in his death by falsely prescribing, selling, or injecting the ketamine that caused Matthew Perry’s tragic death.”

“Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials,” she added.

“Friends,” aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004, is widely considered one of the most popular television shows of all time in the United States. The success of the acclaimed series made Perry and his character, Chandler Bing, into household names worldwide.