Matthew Perry’s Drug Bust Reveals Tragic Inner Circle Situation

Matthew Perry sadly died at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023. It initially appeared that the actor had died in an accidental drowning, but although drowning was a contributing factor (along with coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, according to the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner), his actual cause of death was due to ketamine use. Sadly, the actor’s own inner circle appears to have played a major role in his acquisition and administration of the drug.

Perry had been open about his addiction issues before, but he had also claimed to be sober for 19 months prior to his death, so these results came as a shock to some. The toxicology report sparked a criminal investigation into the incident, and on August 15, 2024, that investigation saw a major breakthrough. In a press release, the United States Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California announced that five arrests had been made.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Dr. Mark Chavez, Erik Fleming, Jasveen Sangha, and Kenneth Iwamasa were “charged in an 18-count superseding indictment returned on Wednesday with distributing ketamine to Perry during the final weeks of the actor’s life,” according to the release. Many were understandably pleased to see that those who contributed to the “Friends” star’s death would be held accountable, but the details of this drug bust paint a brutal portrait of who surrounded Perry in his last days.

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this indictment was the accusations levied against Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s assistant of more than 25 years. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Iwamasa was living with Perry at the time and allegedly administered ketamine to the actor with no medical training. He reportedly injected Perry with ketamine multiple times on the day of his death and was also the one to discover the actor’s body in his pool.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Dr. Mark Chavez allegedly used their medical connections to obtain ketamine for Perry illegally. Chavez formerly worked at a ketamine clinic, and, in the indictment, he’s accused of using procurement methods such as submitting fraudulent prescriptions and misrepresenting himself to a wholesale ketamine distributor. It would seem that Chavez sourced the ketamine that was transferred to Plasencia, who would then sell the product to Perry or Iwamasa. The specifics of their roles in Perry’s ketamine abuse are appalling as well, with Plasencia reportedly texting Chavez, saying “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” for the illicit ketamine.

Jasveen Sangha, aka “The Ketamine Queen” of North Hollywood, was another alleged source for Perry. Per the indictment, Fleming apparently served as a go-between for Sangha and Perry’s assistant, Iwamasa. Clearly, many of the people around Perry were not looking out for his best interest and saw him as a profitable opportunity, even at the expense of his life.