Beloved “Friends” star Matthew Perry experienced a troubling incident when a doctor injected him with a large dose of ketamine just two weeks before he ultimately overdosed. The doctor, Salvador Plascencia, along with several other individuals, including Perry’s assistant and an alleged street dealer, were charged in connection to his death. Plascencia took advantage of Perry’s drug abuse to profit off of him, even texting his assistant about how much money he could make from Perry for the ketamine.
Prior to Perry’s death, Plascencia appeared to hold back when Perry experienced a significant negative reaction to a large dose of ketamine, causing his blood pressure to skyrocket and him to freeze up. Despite this, Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, continued to administer numerous shots of ketamine to Perry in the days leading up to his death, with three of those shots being linked to his passing. Perry had been undergoing ketamine therapy for depression and sought out Plascencia and another doctor when the clinic refused to increase his dosage.
Plascencia and the other doctor, Mark Chavez, allegedly supplied Perry with around 20 vials of ketamine in exchange for $55,000 in cash. Iwamasa, who had no medical training, injected Perry with the drug based on instructions from Plascencia. Plascencia showed interest in becoming Perry’s go-to for drugs and sold Iwamasa thousands of dollars worth of ketamine despite knowing the potential dangers of Perry’s addiction. Ultimately, authorities believe that Perry’s fatal dose of ketamine was supplied by Jasveen Sangha, who has been charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
Plascencia and Sangha are facing multiple charges, including conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Plascencia is also charged with distribution of ketamine and altering and falsifying documents related to the investigation. Sangha has been charged with maintaining drug-involved premises, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and distribution of ketamine. Three other individuals involved in the case accepted deals, admitting to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. The case sheds light on the disturbing extent to which individuals exploited Perry’s addiction for financial gain, ultimately leading to his tragic death.
