American-Canadian actor Matthew Perry received 27 shots of ketamine in his last three days, outside of his prescribed therapy for anxiety and depression, according to a new documentary, reports said.

A new Peacock documentary titled Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy explores the Friends star’s ascent to fame and “his struggle with addiction.”

Although his 2022 best-selling memoir, Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing, implied that he had overcome his substance dependency, the 54-year-old actor passed away from a ketamine overdose on October 28, 2023.

The hour-long special examined the last months and days leading up to his drowning in the hot tub.

The movie also showed Perry’s use of the dissociative anaesthetic, which is often used off-label for depression and recreationally for its hallucinatory effects.

The US attorney, Martin Estrada, who supervised the case before resigning in January stated that the five arrested individuals—two doctors, a suspected drug dealer, and Perry’s live-in personal assistant—are “people who should have known better.”

Two of the arrested individuals, Dr Salvador Plasencia, who is accused of giving Perry the drug in a parking lot and referred to him as a “moron” in a text, and Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” who allegedly supplied the deadly dose—have pleaded not guilty.

Both are set to go to trial on March 4 in Los Angeles.

The other three: Dr Mark Chavez, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, and acquaintance Erik Fleming have pleaded guilty and are working with prosecutors.

They are waiting for sentencing in April (for Chavez and Fleming) and May (for Iwamasa).

Doctor charged in fatal ketamine

Plasencia is accused of getting fake prescriptions for ketamine from Chavez in September and October 2023. Estrada stated that they were driven by “greed,” charging Perry $55,000 for 20 vials of a drug that should have cost only $12 each. In a text to Chavez, Plasencia wondered how much Perry would pay for it.

“Dr Plasencia clearly saw this as a chance to make a lot of money quickly,” Estrada said, “and he allegedly did just that.”

Plasencia reportedly gave Perry ketamine in the back of a car in a Long Beach parking lot. The large dose caused Perry to become stiff, and his blood pressure rose. Despite this, Plasencia continued to administer ketamine and even had Iwamasa, who had no medical training, inject it into Perry.

Plasencia faced one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distributing ketamine, and two counts of altering documents related to the federal investigation into Perry’s death.

“Doctors should not be injecting people in parking lots,” Estrada said. “Dr. Plasencia, as a trained doctor, should have known better. The main point of our indictment is that all these defendants should have known better and were taking advantage of Perry, risking his life for their greed.”

Others charged

Plasencia reportedly couldn’t supply enough ketamine for Iwamasa, so he connected him with Fleming. Fleming, a former film director who worked at a rehab facility, served as a go-between for Iwamasa and Sangha. Sangha is accused of selling Perry 50 vials of ketamine in the last two weeks of his life, including the dose that caused his death, charging $11,000 for them.

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When authorities searched Sangha’s home, they discovered ketamine, cocaine, Xanax, methamphetamine pills, drug ledgers, and scales. She faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to distribute ketamine, maintaining a property involved in drug activities, and possession with the intent to distribute both methamphetamine and ketamine.

Sangha is also alleged to have sold ketamine to another victim, Cody McLaury, who died from an overdose in 2019. Perry’s case has highlighted McLaury’s death.

Estrada noted that previously, overdose deaths were often blamed on the victims. Now, the emphasis is on holding drug dealers responsible for exploiting individuals dealing with addiction.

Iwamasa had worked with Perry for decades.