[Global Times Special Correspondent Zheng Ke Global Times Special Correspondent Wang Yi] U.S. prosecutors said on the 15th that in the criminal investigation surrounding the bathtub drowning of well-known comedian Matthew Perry in 2023, five people were charged with illegal Drug-

[Global Times Special Correspondent Zheng Ke Global Times Special Correspondent Wang Yi] U.S. prosecutors stated on the 15th that five people have been charged in the criminal investigation surrounding the 2023 drowning of well-known comedian Matthew Perry in the bathtub. Charges related to illegal drug trafficking included two doctors, Perry's personal assistant, a street drug dealer and a major drug dealer known locally as the "Ketamine Queen." Perry was an actor who played "Chandler Bing" in the classic American drama "Friends". His sudden death in October 2023 attracted widespread attention. Milgram, director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, issued a statement on the 15th, saying that Matthew Perry's experience "began with unethical doctors who treated Perry as a cash machine" and "ended with street drug dealers." The British "Guardian" published a commentary on the 16th, saying that what this incident shows is that "there seems to be only a thin line between Hollywood doctors and drug dealers."

Prosecutor: On the day of death, Perry injected ketamine three times

The British Broadcasting Corporation (bbc) said that in October 2023, 54-year-old Perry was found dead in a bathtub at his home in Los Angeles, floating face down. At the time, people thought It was just an accident. The actor had been using ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and no drug paraphernalia or anything suggestive of foul play was found at the scene, and he appeared to have died by drowning. Perry famously battled drug addiction for decades, but said he finally kicked the habit. While many people around the world were mourning the actor, the coroner discovered something strange: He had high levels of ketamine in his blood, levels that would be required for a general anesthetic for surgery. Given that his last ketamine injection was a week before his death, common sense would suggest that ketamine should not remain in his system at this time. An autopsy report revealed that the actor died from an "acute reaction to ketamine" and subsequent drowning.

U.S. prosecutors said a nearly year-long investigation that followed uncovered a vast underground ketamine trading network. According to CNN, on the 15th local time, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced the indictment of five people in connection with the incident. These people "took advantage of Perry's drug addiction problem... They knew they were doing something wrong." ".

Hollywood comedian Matthew Perry, who died unexpectedly in 2023. (Visual China)

reported that three of the five defendants have reached plea agreements with the prosecutors. The two who have not pleaded guilty are doctor Salvador Placencia and Jaswin "K-Pink Queen" Sanga, the two have been formally charged. Plasencia was charged with trafficking in ketamine, tampering and forgery of documents, and was detained pending trial. His bail was set at $100,000 and he was required to surrender his medical license previously issued to him by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which allowed him to The patient is prescribed a controlled substance.

According to CNN, investigators believe that Perry "relapsed into drug addiction" in the fall of 2023, and that Plasencia conspired with another indicted doctor, Mark Chavez, to provide Perry with large amounts of ketamine. Although Plasencia knew "Perry's ketamine addiction was spiraling out of control" and at one point witnessed Perry "freeze" after an injection, he was given more ketamine.

bbc said that investigators said that according to regulations, ketamine can only be injected into patients by doctors, and patients should be monitored by professionals because it may have harmful effects. Kenneth Imasa, Perry's assistant for 25 years, had no medical training and had "little or no knowledge about the use of controlled substances," but he still injected Perry with ketamine. Four days before Perry's death, Yanzheng gave Perry 20 injections, three of which were injected on the day of Perry's death.

Prosecutors said that from September to October 2023, Perry received "approximately 20 vials of ketamine" from Plasencia, for which he paid approximately $55,000. The BBC said that Perry once purchased a bottle of ketamine for US$2,000, but the actual price of the drug was only US$12.Prosecutor Estrada said: "The defendant Plasencia saw this as an opportunity to make money from Perry. He wrote in a chat message in September 2023, 'I wonder how much this idiot will pay. Money?' He also said in the chat that he wanted to be Perry's only source of supply. "These defendants are more concerned with getting money from Perry than with his health."

Drug trafficker: "Only with high-end people." "Dealing with celebrities"

bbc said that during the investigation, Sangha's name appeared again and again. The 41-year-old woman was a drug dealer who knew the ketamine she was selling could be deadly. Prosecutor Estrada said at a press conference on the 15th that Sanga's home in North Hollywood was a "drug sales mall," where police found more than 80 bottles of ketamine and thousands of pills containing methamphetamine (commonly known as methamphetamine). methamphetamine), cocaine, and a handgun. She packaged and distributed the drugs out of her home, mostly targeting the rich and famous. The indictment said Sanga "dealt exclusively with high-end individuals and celebrities."

cnn said that Sanga was charged with selling ketamine and methamphetamine, operating a drug-related premises, etc. She pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors argued that Sanga "posed a significant flight risk" given her frequent overseas travel and dual U.S.-British citizenship, and the judge ruled that she would not be granted bail.

The fifth defendant, Eric Fleming, admitted that he sold 50 bottles of ketamine to Perry's assistant and that he purchased the drugs from Sanga.

bbc said that investigators said that after Perry's death, those who had provided him with ketamine tried to hide it. Sanga sent Fleming a message telling him to "delete all our communications." Fleming sent a message to Sanga: "I have never dealt with (Perry), only his assistant, so the assistant is an accomplice." Prosecutors said they used coded language when communicating, Call ketamine "Dr. Pepper," "the robot," or "the can."

The Associated Press stated that prosecutors said that if convicted, Plasencia could be sentenced to up to 120 years in prison, while Sanga could be sentenced to life in prison. "We are sending a clear message that if you are in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable for the deaths you cause," Estrada said.

Another death

Placencia, the Associated Press said He and Sanga appeared in court on the 15th and both refused to plead guilty. The former's lawyer said that "in the final analysis, Dr. Plasencia did what he believed to be the best medical purpose" and that his behavior "did not rise to the level of criminal misconduct." "His only concern was Provide the best medical services." Sanga's lawyer claimed that the prosecutor's so-called "K-Pink Queen" nickname was given for the media.

bbc said prosecutors also found that Sanga was suspected of being involved in another fatal overdose of ketamine in 2019. According to court documents, she sold ketamine to a customer named Cody McLaury, who died from an overdose. The deceased's family texted her: "The ketamine you sold my brother killed him and it was listed as the cause of death." A few days later, Sanga searched on Google: "Can ketamine be listed as the cause of death?"

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Director Milgram issued a statement on the 15th, saying that Perry’s experience began with unethical doctors who abused their position of trust and treated him as a cash machine, while street drug dealers packaged ketamine. Sold to him in unmarked vials. “The DEA works tirelessly every day with federal, state and local partners to protect the public and hold accountable those who distribute deadly and dangerous drugs – whether they are local drug dealers or doctors who violate their oath.”

"The answer is money, but also power"

The Associated Press said on the 15th that ketamine is a powerful anesthetic approved by U.S. health regulators for use in surgery, but in the past decade, it has become a therapy , used to treat a range of psychiatric conditions and difficult-to-treat conditions, including depression, anxiety and chronic pain.Doctors can prescribe the drug for these uses if they think patients would benefit, and hundreds of clinics across the United States offer ketamine infusions. CNN said that in recent years, the use of ketamine as a drug to treat depression, anxiety and pain has surged in the United States.

The British "Guardian" published a commentary on the 16th saying that American doctor Murray injected general anesthetics into singer Michael Jackson many times to prevent the latter from insomnia. Murray ended up in jail on manslaughter charges after one of those cares resulted in Jackson's death. "Our expectations for doctors are much higher than our expectations for drug dealers." The article stated that big stars like Matthew Perry have absolute say in their lives and are surrounded by the same "support system", while the latter “There’s a fine line” between “helping” and becoming a parasite. "As for why doctors do this, the answer is money and power."

bbc said that Perry had openly talked about his struggle with drug addiction in his memoirs, and he hoped that his honesty could help others. His famous quote is on the homepage of the Matthew Perry Foundation established after his death: "When I die, my hope that helping others is the first thing people mention." Milgram said on the 15th that the arrest and public Details of this high-profile case could help others and prevent deaths — which is exactly what Perry wants.