Friends actor Matthew Perry’s sudden death in October 2023 was something that shocked the world. It was said that the actor accidentally drowned in his hot tub. When the autopsy revealed that “acute effects of ketamine” were the cause of his death, not much was read into it because although Perry was a recovering addict, he was being administered ketamine as part of supervised therapy for his depression. However, a more detailed autopsy revealed that unlikely high amounts of the drug were detected in his bloodstream considering he didn’t have a therapy session for a week before his untimely death. This lead to an investigation, and finally, the US Prosecutors charged five people, including two doctors and ‘Ketamine Queen’ Jasveen Sangha, for the death of the actor.
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Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute ketamine causing death, Eric Fleming and Dr Mark Chavez pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute drugs unlawfully. However, Dr Salvador Plasencia, accused of supplying Ketamine to the Friends actor, and falsifying records has pleaded not guilty along with Jasveen, who faces nine counts including conspiracy to distribute Ketamine, and distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
What led to Matthew Perry’s death
As per reports, Matthew Perry developed an addiction to ketamine while seeking treatment. However, when he could not get hold of the drug through legal means, he met the two accused doctors — Dr Salvador Plascencia and Dr Mark Chavez, who used his addiction to exploit him along with the drug dealer.
In texts exchanged between the trio, they discussed how much Perry would pay, as per Page Six. “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” read the text. The Friends star paid $2,000 for a vial of ketamine which costs $12. Iwamasa has also pleaded guilty to obtaining ketamine from another accused, Eric Fleming, who got them from Sangha. He reportedly received 50 vials of ketamine for Perry, with 25 coming in four days before the actor died.
Who is ‘Ketamine Queen’ Jasveen Sangha?
Called ‘Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles’, Jasveen has been charged with providing ketamine that caused the overdose deaths of Matthew Perry and another man. The 41-year-old has allegedly been selling ketamine and meth out of her North Hollywood home since June 2019, as per a California federal indictment which was made public on Thursday. She was busted on March 19 for selling meth in an earlier case and was later released on $100,000 bond.
Prosecutors argued that Jasveen allegedly sold about 50 vials of Ketamine to Perry, and knew that it could be deadly. Incidentally, in a raid earlier this year at her North Hollywood home, which officials dubbed as a ‘drug-selling emporium’, they allegedly found almost 80 vials of ketamine along with various narcotics including methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax.
When asked about the alleged network of Jasveen, Martin Estrada, the US Attorney for California’s Central District, said that she was a major source of supply for ketamine to others as well as Perry. He shared that the people charged with the death of the actor exploited him, and his weakness.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is a drug that is only supposed to be administered by a physician, and requires monitoring by professionals to keep tabs on possible harm. However, it is said that Perry’s assistant, who has never received medical training, often injected the actor with the drug.
Perry, who was vocal about his struggle with addiction to alcohol and drugs, hoped to be a lesson for people to not give up on themselves, and push through to a brighter future.
For people in India, who want to talk to experts to get over addiction, kindly call the toll free number of 14446 or visit https://nmba.dosje.gov.in/
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