A doctor who illegally supplied ketamine to “Friends” star Matthew Perry has been sentenced to 30 months in prison, exposing dangerous gaps in medical oversight that allowed a thriving underground drug industry to flourish unchecked.
Quick Take
- Dr. Salvador Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months for distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry weeks before his death
- Perry died from acute ketamine effects in October 2023, highlighting failures in medical regulation and at-home drug protocols
- Multiple medical professionals are involved in supplying drugs, revealing a systemic breakdown in professional accountability
- The case exposes a rapidly growing, unregulated at-home ketamine industry operating with minimal government oversight
- Additional defendants face sentencing in the coming weeks, signaling a broader criminal network behind Perry’s death
Doctor’s Illegal Drug Scheme Unravels in Court
Dr. Salvador Plasencia was sentenced on December 3 in Los Angeles federal court to 30 months in prison for illegally distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry and his assistant.
Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of illegally distributing ketamine. His conviction marks a critical moment in holding medical professionals accountable for abandoning their oath and participating in criminal drug distribution networks that prey on vulnerable individuals.
Court documents reveal Plasencia’s calculated scheme: approximately one month before Perry’s death, he supplied the actor with 20 vials of ketamine totaling 100 mg, along with ketamine lozenges and syringes, charging $4,500 for the illegal supply.
More troubling, Plasencia enlisted fellow physician Dr. Mark Chavez to help maintain a steady supply, explicitly discussing making themselves Perry’s “go-to” drug dealers. This wasn’t an isolated mistake—it was a deliberate criminal enterprise orchestrated by licensed medical professionals.
Matthew Perry’s ‘Dr. Ketamine’ sentenced for his role in ‘Friends’ star’s OD death https://t.co/7pUO88sxDD pic.twitter.com/IHshmhLlWf
— New York Post (@nypost) December 3, 2025
A Preventable Tragedy Rooted in Regulatory Failure
Matthew Perry, 54, was found unresponsive and floating face-down in his Los Angeles home jacuzzi on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined he died from acute ketamine effects, with contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine use.
Perry’s death represents not merely personal tragedy but systemic failure—a complete breakdown in medical regulation that allowed doctors to operate as street-level drug dealers with impunity.
The case exposes a critical vulnerability: the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry operates with virtually no meaningful oversight or clear protocols.
This legal gray area has created fertile ground for unscrupulous medical professionals to exploit patients while enriching themselves. Plasencia’s attorneys acknowledged this gap, stating his case “should serve as a warning to other medical professionals and lead to stricter oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry.” Conservative Americans should demand that regulatory agencies close these dangerous loopholes immediately.
A Network of Criminals in Medical Uniforms
Plasencia was not acting alone. Dr. Mark Chavez faces sentencing on December 17 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” faces sentencing on December 10 after pleading guilty to three counts of ketamine distribution, one count of distribution resulting in death or serious bodily injury, and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
Perry’s former live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and street dealer Erik Fleming have sentencing dates scheduled for January 2026, revealing an extensive criminal supply chain.
This network demonstrates how quickly criminal enterprises can flourish when government agencies fail to establish clear standards and enforce accountability.
Multiple medical professionals, street dealers, and facilitators coordinated to supply drugs that ultimately killed a high-profile actor. The question conservatives must ask: how many other vulnerable Americans have died through similar networks operating in the shadows of regulatory negligence?
