UPDATE: Five defendants have been charged in connection with the death of Perry, according to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. Estrada made the announcement during a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The five arrested include Jasveen Sangha (41), known as the “Ketamine Queen” of North Hollywood, Dr. Salvador Plasencia (42), Eric Fleming (54), Dr. Mark Chavez (54), and Kenneth Iwamasa (59), who was Perry’s live-in assistant and is alleged to have conspired with the others to obtain and distribute ketamine to Perry.
Fleming also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death earlier this month.
The attorney says that the group is part of a “broad underground criminal network,” and supplied ketamine to Perry and others. “These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong,” Estrada said (via Deadline).
Original Story: An arrest has been made amidst an ongoing investigation into the death of actor Matthew Perry.
A new report from the Los Angeles Times notes that one individual has been arrested in connection to Perry’s death. Although Perry’s death was ruled an accidental overdose, the LAPD and federal authorities have been investigating the source of the drugs he consumed since May.
Is there more information on the arrests?
Currently, no information on the arrests was made available, with law enforcement sources telling The Times that several search warrants were issued and that “evidence was seized.” An official news conference is also scheduled for later in the morning, with more information likely to come from that.
Perry’s death was initially ruled as an accident. According to a December 2023 article from Variety, “drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine” were all said to be contributing factors.
Perry was best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends, which ran for 234 episodes over the course of ten seasons. He also appeared in television series such as 1989’s Growing Pains, 1993’s Home Free, 2006’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 2012’s The Good Wife, 2015’s The Odd Couple and more.
(Source: Los Angeles Times)
