Tragic Fall: Star's Untimely Death Tied to California Drug Ring

Dr. Mark Chavez, linked to actor Matthew Perry's ketamine overdose, received a home confinement sentence. Perry's untimely death involved several people, with Chavez and Dr. Salvador Plasencia initially imprisoned. Perry struggled with substance abuse and sought ketamine for anxiety and depression treatment, leading to a fatal overdose in 2023.

In a landmark judgment, Dr. Mark Chavez was sentenced on Tuesday to eight months of home confinement for his involvement in illegally providing ketamine to the late actor Matthew Perry. The potent sedative led to Perry's untimely death in a 2023 accidental overdose. Chavez, 55, previously based in San Diego, confessed to conspiring in the illegal distribution and relinquished his medical license last November.

Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett mandated Chavez to complete 300 hours of community service. In a plea agreement, Chavez admitted to supplying ketamine to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who then provided it to Perry, although not the fatal dosage. Plasencia faced a 2 1/2-year prison term earlier this month. Together, they were the first of five individuals charged in connection with Perry's death to be incarcerated.

The sentencing of three other individuals – drug dealer Jasveen Sangha, intermediary Erik Fleming, and Perry's former assistant Iwamasa – is imminent. Sangha confessed to providing the fatal ketamine dose, and Iwamasa admitted to administering it. Tragically, it was Iwamasa who discovered Perry lifeless at his Los Angeles residence, with the cause of death ruled as drowning due to ketamine's effects combined with other factors.

(With inputs from agencies.)