A month before Matthew Perry’s death, a doctor the actor contacted for ketamine called him “deb” in a text message, according to federal prosecutors.
The dealer who authorities say delivered the drugs to Perry called him “Chandler,” the sarcastic, sarcastic character he played on the hit television show “Friends,” according to court documents.
In court documents and public statements, federal authorities described a scheme in which medical professionals and street dealers used Perry, who has been open about his years-long struggle with addiction, to enrich themselves.
Five people — two doctors, an alleged drug dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen,” a former film director and Perry’s assistant — are accused of conspiring to distribute ketamine, an anesthetic drug, to the actor.
Prosecutors have opened a criminal case against the defendants. But experts familiar with addiction treatment say the drug-use picture described in court documents follows an all-too-familiar path: The addict is desperate for a fix, and those supplying the drug are reluctant to keep it.
“People can become victims because they are really motivated to seek out this material and nothing can satisfy them,” he said. Jessica Borelli, professor of psychology at UC Irvine.
Perry was found in a hot tub at her Los Angeles home on October 28. Authorities later determined that he was the cause of her death. acute effects of ketamine.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said at a news conference this month that the defendants in the case “were more concerned about Mr. Perry’s profits than his well-being.”
“Drug dealers who sell dangerous substances risk the lives of others out of greed,” he said.
Federal prosecutors said Perry began ketamine therapy at a local clinic where he checked in to treat depression and anxiety. Ketamine is a relatively new treatment for depression, but some medical professionals who spoke to The Times say it shows promising results when used correctly.
While most commonly used antidepressants affect serotonin, dopamine and other neurochemicals in the brain, ketamine acts on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) system and may be helpful for treatment-resistant depression. However, there are risks and potential for addiction to potent drugs, said Dr. Robert McCarron, professor of psychiatry and associate dean for medical education at UC Irvine.
“Ketamine can harm or kill someone if it is not carefully monitored and used in an approved therapeutic manner,” McCarron said, adding that Perry likely did not know that taking additional doses of ketamine outside of therapy could be fatal.
“He didn’t go to medical school. He probably thought it would make him feel better and reduce his depression so he could get better,” McCarron said.
The American Society of Physicians, Psychotherapists and Ketamine Practitioners expressed concerns about whether Perry was a good candidate for ketamine treatment.
“To safely continue ketamine infusions with your history of addiction, your treatment plan should be implemented by someone knowledgeable and experienced with ketamine as part of an overall addiction treatment program,” the organization said in a statement.
Federal authorities say Perry became addicted to the powerful drug, and when doctors at the clinic refused to increase his dosage, the actor turned to Salvador Plasencia, an internist who calls himself “Dr. P.”
Federal prosecutors allege that Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, worked with two doctors, Mark Chavez and Placencia, and drug dealers Jaswin Sanga and Eric Fleming to produce thousands of dollars’ worth of ketamine for Perry in the month before his death.
Sangha and Placencia have pleaded not guilty. Their representatives could not be reached for comment. Iwamasa pleaded guilty this month to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. Fleming pleaded guilty this month to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. According to court records, Chavez has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
In text messages with Chavez, who was experienced with ketamine, Plasencia thought about how much to charge Perry for the drug, writing in the text message, “I wonder how much this crazy guy pays” and “let’s find out.” He appealed to the court.
Placencia also wrote in messages to Chavez that he did not want Perry to “look elsewhere” for his ketamine supply. According to the indictment, Plasencia wrote that he wanted to be his “walker.”
Doctors distributed 20 vials of ketamine to Perry for $55,000 in cash and charged him $2,000 per vial, costing Chavez $12, authorities said.
“Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw it as a payday, and ended with street-level dealers who sold him ketamine in unmarked bottles,” US DEA official Ann Milgram said at a news conference this month. “The desperation that led Perry to turn to these individuals found him not help, as the doctors should have, but exploitation.”
In mid-October, Perry and his assistant were communicating with Fleming, an acquaintance of the actor who had a source who could supply him with drugs at a lower price.
Fleming texted Perry saying he had “some liquid K” that he would sell for a “good price” and a “fair tip” for the delivery, according to Fleming’s plea agreement with prosecutors.
“I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have the opportunity to get paid to do it,” Fleming told Iwamasa, according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, Fleming delivered a sample to Perry’s home for $180 on Oct. 13. Iwamasa told Fleming the drug “looked good” and asked for more.
When Sangha spoke to Fleming about the sale, she referred to Perry “using the name of a well-known character (Perry) as depicted in the television series,” according to Fleming’s plea agreement. She called him “Chandler,” law enforcement sources told The Times.
The next day, Fleming arrived at Perry’s home with 25 bottles and charged $5,500, pocketing an additional $500 for coordinating the deal, prosecutors said. While Sangha quoted Fleming $160 per bottle of ketamine, authorities say Fleming charged Perry $220 per bottle.
Ten days later, Fleming dropped off another 25 bottles at the actor’s home, along with pallets of ketamine, which prosecutors say Sangha gave as a reward for the large order, according to the indictment.
In the final days of Perry’s life, court records show the actor’s drug addiction spiraled out of control. Authorities say Iwamasa injected the actor with ketamine six to eight times a day. The assistant found Perry unconscious in his home at least twice in October, the indictment alleges.
In less than a month, Fleming and Sanga sold about 50 bottles of the drug to the actor for about $11,000, according to prosecutors.
Experts say it is not uncommon for someone who abuses drugs to spend a lot of money to access them.
When someone abuses drugs, the way they process rewards changes, so “what is rewarding for most people is not rewarding for people with substance use disorders,” she said. Borelli.
Experts say this can lead people to underestimate the effects of substance abuse.
“Addiction is like an ironclad compulsion,” said Dr. Michael McDaniel, medical director of Heartland House in San Diego. “There’s virtually nothing you can do for someone with a substance use disorder to stop them from using. So with something like ketamine, where the substances are strictly controlled and restricted, the victim would be at the mercy of whoever was supplying them.”
