Five people who allegedly supplied "Friends" star Matthew Perry with ketamine in an attempt to profit from his drug addiction have been charged in connection with his overdose death, US authorities said.
The actor died in his luxury home in Los Angeles last year, causing an outpouring of grief from fans around the world, AFP reported.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction problems to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing put Mr. Perry in great danger, but they did it anyway," said federal prosecutor Martin Estrada.
"The defendants were more interested in taking advantage of Mr. Perry than they were concerned about his well-being," said Estrada, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
Charges have been filed against two doctors, Perry's assistant, a realtor and a North Hollywood dealer known as the "Queen of Ketamine" in connection with the overdose death of another man.
Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom Friends from 1994 to 2004, was found unconscious in his pool in October. He was 54 years old.
An autopsy determined the cause of his death was the "acute effects of ketamine," a controlled drug the recovering addict had been taking as part of controlled therapy.
Estrada claims Perry relapsed into addiction in the fall of 2023 when he began being supplied by Salvador Placencia and Mark Chavez, both doctors.
Within two months, they sold him 20 vials of the drug for $55,000. Each one cost them just $12.
"I wonder how much this idiot will pay... Let's find out," Plasencia, 42, wrote in one message.
Placencia, who is believed to be working in the upscale Calabasas neighbourhood outside Los Angeles, knew Perry was spiralling out of control but carried on.
“On one occasion he injected Mr. Perry with ketamine and saw Mr. Perry freeze and his blood pressure rise. However, he left extra vials of ketamine for (Perry's assistant) Iwamasa to administer,” Estrada explained.
Perry also obtained the drug from Jaswin Sanga, a woman dubbed the "Queen of Ketamine," through broker Eric Fleming, including the batch that eventually killed him.
Her home was a "drug emporium" containing methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription drugs like Xanax, officials said.
Placencia, whose ankles were in chains when he appeared in court, denied one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and several other charges.
He was released on $100,000 bail and ordered to inform his patients of the charges against him. He was ordered to appear in court on October 8 and could face up to 120 years in prison.
Sanga, who holds dual British and American citizenship, wore a green Nirvana sweater when he pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and other charges.
She was denied bail after a judge learned of her lifestyle, which included a trip to Tokyo just two weeks after Perry's death.
She has been ordered to appear in court on October 15 and could face up to life in prison.
The remaining defendants either pleaded guilty or agreed to do so in connection with their charges. They face 10 to 25 years in prison. |BGNES
