Five people have been arrested in connection with the death of Matthew Perry, the Department of Justice announced in a press conference on Thursday, August 15. Perry’s assistant and doctors are among those arrested following the drug investigation launched in May 2024. Those arrested now face federal charges.
The Department of Justice said their investigation into Perry’s death revealed a “broad underground criminal network” that showed those arrested “took advantage” of the Friends star by selling him ketamine, per Variety.
“This network included a live-in assistant, various go-betweens, two medical doctors and a major source of drug supply known as ‘The Ketamine Queen,’” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in the press conference while announcing the charges. “These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyways. In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his well being.”
There were conflicting reports on the arrests on the morning of August 15. NBC News reported that one arrest was made on Thursday morning in Southern California in connection to Perry’s death. ABC News reported that it was multiple arrests, including a doctor.
Perry died on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54, and in December 2023 his death was ruled an accidental overdose caused by acute effects of ketamine. Los Angeles police had been working with federal authorities on the investigation since May.
Perry was found unresponsive at the heated end of his pool at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28. The toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office attributed his death to the acute effects of ketamine, noting that contributing factors included drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine (a medication used to treat opioid use disorder). There were no signs of foul play found in the death.
“At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” the report said, per Variety.
Perry had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy to treat the symptoms of depression and anxiety, with his most recent treatment reportedly occurring 1.5 weeks before his death, according to the autopsy report.
The medical examiner also determined that the ketamine in Perry’s system at the time of his death could not have been the result of that last infusion, as ketamine’s half-like (the time it takes for the total amount of a drug in a body to reduce by 50 percent) is three to four hours or less.
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