Dr Salvador Plasencia injected the Friend’s star with Ketamine and trained his assistant to administer it.

A California doctor accused of fuelling Friends star Matthew Perry’s fatal ketamine habit has agreed to plead guilty to illegally distributing the powerful drug in the weeks leading up to the actor’s death, US federal prosecutors announced on Monday.

Dr Salvador Plasencia will plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine without legitimate medical purpose. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison. He is expected to formally enter his plea in the coming weeks.

The plea deal paints a grim picture of how Perry — beloved for his portrayal of Chandler Bing — obtained dangerous quantities of ketamine despite already being on a legal prescription for the drug to treat depression. The 54-year-old actor was found unresponsive in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home in October 2023, shocking fans worldwide.

Federal prosecutors say Dr Plasencia was part of a clandestine ring of five people — including another doctor and Perry’s personal assistant — who helped the actor access ketamine far beyond prescribed limits.

According to documents, Dr Plasencia not only injected Perry at his home but also administered the drug in the car park of the Long Beach Aquarium. He even taught Perry’s assistant how to inject ketamine, then sold extra vials and syringes to them for private use.

Between 30 September and 12 October 2023, just weeks before Perry’s death, Dr Plasencia sold Perry and his assistant twenty 5ml vials of concentrated ketamine, along with lozenges and paraphernalia.

Text messages obtained by investigators from co-defendant Dr Mark Chavez — who has already pleaded guilty — show Plasencia mocking the actor, calling him a “moron” and speculating on how much he would pay for ketamine.

Perry, who had spoken publicly about battling addiction and mental health issues, was reportedly using legally prescribed ketamine to treat severe depression. However, prosecutors say he was also actively seeking out unregulated sources to increase his dosage.

Dr Chavez and Perry’s assistant are among others facing legal consequences in what authorities describe as a shadowy network of medical professionals and drug dealers catering to celebrity clients.

Dr Plasencia’s plea agreement marks a key development in the federal case surrounding the actor’s death. Prosecutors have not yet confirmed whether the illegal doses directly caused Perry’s fatal overdose, but the case has intensified scrutiny of how powerful psychiatric drugs like ketamine are administered and accessed, particularly in Hollywood.

As Perry’s fans continue to mourn the loss of a television icon, the case also raises renewed questions about responsibility, addiction, and exploitation in celebrity circles.