Dr. Salvador Plasencia, a California doctor, was sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison on Wednesday for illegally supplying “Friends” sitcom star Matthew Perry with ketamine, the powerful sedative that led to the actor's drug overdose death in 2023.
Dr. Plasencia, who operated an urgent-care clinic outside Los Angeles, had pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four felony counts of the illegal distribution of the prescription anesthetic.
Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties that is sometimes prescribed to treat depression and other psychiatric disorders. It also has seen widespread abuse as an illicit party drug.
Perry was found by his live-in assistant floating face down and lifeless in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home in October 2023. He was 54. An autopsy report concluded the actor died from the "acute effects of ketamine," which combined with other factors in causing the actor to lose consciousness and drown.
Authorities determined that the actor’s overdose was caused by a combination of drugs, including ketamine, which had been illegally supplied by Dr. Plasencia.
Plasencia could have faced up to 40 years in prison if convicted at trial. However, as part of a plea agreement, the doctor received a much shorter sentence, which will see him serve time for his role in Perry's tragic death.
During the court proceedings, federal prosecutors noted that Plasencia had been illegally distributing ketamine to Perry and others outside of a legitimate medical context.
Perry’s stepfather, journalist Keith Morrison, left the courthouse alongside the actor’s mother, Suzanne Perry. Morrison called the case “a tragic story.”
“Sometimes apparently nice guys do bad things,” he said. “And the legal system has to take account of it.”
The mother of Dr. Salvador Plasencia expressed relief and remorse outside of the courthouse after the sentencing.
“It could have been worse, but thank you, God. Thank you, the judge. Thank you, everybody,” Luz Plasencia told reporters.
“And I'm sorry (to) all the family of Matthew Perry. I'm sorry. And my son, he says sorry.”
Perry, known for his iconic role as Chandler Bing on the hit TV show Friends, had battled substance abuse issues throughout his life, and his tragic death has sparked widespread conversation about addiction and mental health issues in Hollywood.
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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 14th of May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A drug addiction counsellor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks leading up to the actor’s fatal overdose has been sentenced to two years in federal prison in Los Angeles.
The accused Los Angeles drug dealer known as the 'ketamine queen' has agreed to plead guilty to charges that she supplied the dose of the prescription aesthetic that killed 'Friends' star Matthew Perry, prosecutors said on Monday.
Dr. Mark Chavez of San Diego has pleaded guilty to illegally distributing ketamine in connection with the overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry. Chavez, 54, faces up to 10 years in prison, while two others, including another doctor, are set to stand trial in March 2024.
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