Five persons have been charged in connection with “Friends” actor Matthew Perry’s death after the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed that Perry had died due to the “acute effects of ketamine,” a powerful anaesthetic often used in both medical and recreational settings. 

According to the New York Times, documents filed in federal court in California on Thursday revealed Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, along with an acquaintance, Erik Fleming, worked with Doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez and a notorious drug dealer, Jasveen Sangha, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” to procure large quantities of the drug for Perry in the weeks leading up to his death.

The charges come after an investigation revealed that medical professionals and drug dealers provided the substance to Perry despite his struggle with addiction.

Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the beloved sitcom “Friends,” was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023.

The actor’s assistant discovered him floating face down in a hot tub just hours after Perry had completed a two-hour pickleball session.

While Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy as part of his treatment for mental health issues, the levels of the drug found in his system far exceeded those typically administered in therapeutic settings.

Prosecutors allege that Plasencia, who practised at an urgent care centre in Calabasas, California, personally administered dangerous doses of ketamine to Perry on multiple occasions, including in a public parking lot. 

The doctor allegedly falsified medical records to cover up his actions, claiming that Perry was receiving standard therapeutic doses.

Chavez and Fleming are also accused of participating in the conspiracy, with the latter reportedly delivering 25 vials of ketamine to Perry’s residence just days before the actor’s death. 

Perry’s assistant, Iwamasa, is said to have administered more than 20 shots of ketamine to the actor in the final days of his life, ultimately leading to his fatal overdose.

Prosecutors said Sangha maintained a “stash house” in North Hollywood, where she stored large quantities of ketamine and other drugs.

Law enforcement officials raided her home earlier this year, seizing 79 bottles of liquid ketamine and nearly 2,000 methamphetamine pills.

The charges against the five defendants include conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of ketamine resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and altering and falsifying records related to a federal investigation.