Matthew Perry’s Doctor Admits to Drug Distribution

A California doctor accused of giving Friends actor Matthew Perry access to ketamine weeks before he died of an overdose has pleaded guilty, federal prosecutors say, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Salvador Plasencia will plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, federal prosecutors said in a statement Monday. The plea agreement carries a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison, and a medical examiner is expected to give his statement in the coming weeks.

Perry — best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends — was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home in October 2023. He was 54, and although he had spoken openly about his struggles with depression and addiction, his death shocked fans around the world.

According to text messages shared with prosecutors by Mark Chavez — another doctor who has already pleaded guilty in the case — Plasencia called Perry an “idiot” and expressed interest in knowing how much he would be willing to pay for the drugs. According to documents filed in the plea agreement, Plasencia injected Perry with ketamine at his home and in the parking lot of the Long Beach Aquarium. He also taught Perry’s assistant — who is also a defendant — how to administer the drugs, and sold them extra bottles to keep at home, according to the plea agreement.

The doctor is one of five people charged in what prosecutors describe as a clandestine network of distributors and medical professionals who provided Perry with ketamine. The actor had been legally taking prescribed amounts of the drug to treat depression, but was demanding more than he was allowed.

In total, the plea agreement states that between September 30 and October 12, 2023, Plasencia sold twenty 5-milliliter (100mg/ml) vials of ketamine, less than a full package of ketamine tablets and syringes to Perry and his assistant.

Plasencia's lawyers were not immediately available for comment, according to the BBC.