A federal court has sentenced a Los Angeles doctor to 30 months in prison for illegally distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry, exposing how medical professionals are exploiting loopholes in the rapidly expanding at-home ketamine industry.
Key Points
- Dr. Salvador Plasencia was sentenced on December 3, 2025, for supplying ketamine to Matthew Perry weeks before his fatal overdose
- Plasencia admitted to illegally distributing 20 vials of ketamine totaling 100 mg, plus lozenges and syringes, for $4,500
- Perry died on October 28, 2023, from acute ketamine effects, with contributing factors including drowning and coronary artery disease
- The case exposes dangerous gaps in oversight of the at-home ketamine industry and physician accountability
Doctor’s Guilty Plea Reveals Coordinated Drug Distribution Scheme
Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of illegally distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry and his assistant. Court documents reveal Plasencia supplied Perry with 20 vials of ketamine totaling 100 mg, along with ketamine lozenges and syringes, approximately one month before the actor’s death.
The doctor charged $4,500 for the drugs and then enlisted another physician, Dr. Mark Chavez, to continue the supply chain, demonstrating a calculated effort to establish Perry as a regular customer.
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
Matthew Perry’s Tragic Death and Medical Findings
Matthew Perry, 54, was found unresponsive and floating face-down in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine, with contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
The investigation uncovered that Plasencia was not even treating Perry at the time of his death, yet continued supplying him with dangerous controlled substances.
Systemic Failures in the At-Home Ketamine Industry
This case exposes critical gaps in oversight of the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry. Plasencia’s attorneys stated their client hopes the sentencing serves as a warning to medical professionals and leads to stricter oversight and clear protocols to prevent future tragedies.
The lack of existing safeguards allowed doctors to operate with minimal accountability, prioritizing profit over patient safety and enabling the illegal distribution of a controlled substance to a vulnerable individual.
Additional Defendants Face Sentencing
The Matthew Perry case involves multiple defendants still awaiting sentencing. Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” pleaded guilty in August to three counts of distribution of ketamine, one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury, and one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises.
She is scheduled for sentencing on December 10. Dr. Mark Chavez faces sentencing on December 17 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine, while Perry’s former assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and street dealer Erik Fleming have sentencing dates scheduled for January 2026.
