Matthew Perry's suspected drug dealer, known as the "Ketamine Queen," may have referred to him as "Chandler" in coded messages.
The beloved character, Chandler Bing, played by the late actor who passed away in October from 'acute effects of ketamine,' was a fan favorite on the hit sitcom 'Friends.'
Jasveen Sangha, also known as the "Ketamine Queen," who was arrested on Aug. 15 for her involvement in Matthew Perry's death, may have used a code name during conversations involving the purchase and delivery of ketamine to the late star.
In court documents, prosecutors allege that Sangha referred to Perry by the name of a character he portrayed in a TV series.
The actor, best known for portraying Chandler Bing on "Friends," passed away on Oct. 28, 2023, due to acute ketamine effects.
On August 15th, five individuals, including Sangha, Erik Fleming, Kenneth Iwamasa, and two physicians, were apprehended and indicted for numerous offenses.
At a press conference that day, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada stated that the defendants sold approximately 20 vials of a drug to Perry for $50,000 in cash, and in another sale, they took advantage of Mr. Perry by selling 50 vials of ketamine for $11,000 in cash.
According to Fleming's plea agreement, Sangha, Iwamasa, and Fleming collaborated to destroy evidence proving that the actor received multiple ketamine injections.
On Oct. 28, Sangha and Fleming talked about separating themselves from the drug trade by erasing digital proof from their phones.
The court documents stated that Fleming was instructed by Sangha to erase all text messages exchanged between them and to update Signal's settings to automatically delete messages.
On Oct. 30, two days after Perry's death, Fleming and Perry's personal assistant spoke on the phone. Iwamasa admitted to "cleaning up the scene" by removing syringes and ketamine vials, as per the plea agreement. He also claimed to have "deleted everything." In text messages to the "Ketamine Queen," Fleming appeared to place blame on Iwamasa.
"Fleming wrote in a text message included in the plea agreement, "I'm 90% sure everyone is protected. I never dealt with [Victim M.P.]. Only his Assistant. So the Assistant was the enabler. Also, are they doing a 3-month tox screening? Does K stay in your system or is it immediately flushed out?""
On the morning of Oct. 28, Iwamasa administered a shot of ketamine to the actor at approximately 8:30 a.m., according to the documents. By 12:45 p.m., Perry instructed Iwamasa to give him another injection while the "Friends" star watched a movie.
Forty minutes later, Perry requested another injection, reportedly saying, "Give me a big one," according to the plea agreement. Iwamasa then left the house to run errands for Perry, only to return to find him "face down" in the jacuzzi, dead.
According to an autopsy completed on Oct. 29, the acute effects of ketamine were the cause of Perry's death. Drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine effects were also listed as contributing factors.
In a recent interview with The Times, David Crane, co-creator of "Friends," disclosed that Matthew Perry had been using drugs during the show's production, a fact that the late actor had openly discussed.
He explained that by the time we realized it, we were already a family in many ways.
"At one point, we asked him if he wanted to leave the show, but he strongly replied, "No, this is crucial to me.""
In 2022, Perry confessed that remaining on the show may have preserved his life.
"He told People magazine that he would trade his fame for not having the disease, but he didn't diminish the enjoyment of the experience on "Friends." The money was also great, and the creative experience of being on the show likely saved his life."
This report was contributed to by Tracy Wright, Lauryn Overhultz, and Caroline Thayer of Planet Chronicle Digital.
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