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(LOS ANGELES) — ABC News has learned that five people are currently facing federal charges in connection with the ketamine death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry.
According to law enforcement sources, the arrests were made during an operation in the early hours of Thursday morning.
According to a federal source, five people – including two doctors – have been charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine. The indictment says the two doctors were the initial sources, but at some point the drugs became too expensive, according to federal officials, and Perry sought out a new source, including a woman known as the “Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles,” according to the federal source.
According to the federal source, the charges also include the death of another person, referred to in the indictment by the initials CM.
The charges will be announced later Thursday at a press conference with the U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles and the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Perry died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54. He was found unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home, police said. An autopsy report found he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
According to the autopsy report, Perry had high levels of ketamine in his blood, likely lost consciousness and then went underwater.
According to the autopsy report, he was receiving ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety, with the last treatment occurring 1 1/2 weeks before his death. However, the medical examiner wrote that the ketamine in his body at the time of his death could not have come from this infusion therapy because the half-life of ketamine is three to four hours or less.
His method of ingestion was listed in the report as unknown.
The autopsy report also listed drowning, coronary heart disease and buprenorphine effects as contributing factors not related to the immediate cause of death. The cause of death was ruled accidental.
According to the autopsy report, prescription drugs and loose pills were found in his home, but nothing was found near where his body was found.
In the months since his death, several agencies have launched investigations, including the DEA, the Los Angeles Police Department, the United States Postal Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Perry was known for his role as Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom “Friends,” which ran from 1994 to 2004.
This is a developing story, please check back later for updates.
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