5 charged over death of Friends star

LOS ANGELES — Five people who allegedly supplied ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry in a bid to exploit his drug addiction for profit have been charged in relation to his overdose death, US officials said on Thursday.

The actor died at his luxury Los Angeles home last year, sparking an outpouring of grief from fans.

"These defendants took advantage of Mr Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr Perry, but they did it anyway," Martin Estrada, US attorney for the central district of California, said.

"These defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr Perry than caring for his well-being."

Charges were levied against two doctors, Perry's live-in assistant, a broker and a North Hollywood dealer known as "the Ketamine Queen", who has been linked to the overdose death of another man.

Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom from 1994 to 2004, was found unresponsive in his swimming pool in October. He was 54.

An autopsy found the cause of his death was "the acute effects of ketamine", a controlled drug the recovering addict was taking as part of supervised therapy.

Estrada said Perry had fallen back into addiction in the autumn of 2023, when he began to be supplied by doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez.

Over two months, they sold him 20 vials of the drug for $55,000. Each one cost them as little as $12, Estrada said.

In one text message, Plasencia, 42, wrote: "I wonder how much this moron will pay … Let's find out."

Plasencia, who reportedly works in a neighborhood outside Los Angeles, knew Perry was spiraling out of control, but carried on.

Perry also obtained the drug from Jasveen Sangha, a woman nicknamed "the Ketamine Queen", through broker Eric Fleming, including the batch that would ultimately kill him.

Her home was "a drug-selling emporium" containing methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription drugs like Xanax, officials said.

Plasencia, whose ankles were chained when he appeared in court, denied one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, as well as a raft of other charges.

He was released on $100,000 bail and ordered to inform his patients of the charges he faces. He was ordered to stand trial on Oct 8 and could be imprisoned for up to 120 years.

Doctors and veterinarians use ketamine as an anesthetic. Underground users take it for its hallucinogenic effects, though it can be addictive and dangerous for people with underlying health problems.

Agencies via Xinhua