Where is Dr Salvador Plascencia now? Matthew Perry’s California doctor to reportedly plead guilty to supplying actor with ketamine

Dr. Salvador Plascencia is the California-based doctor who is accused of the overdose death of actor Matthew Perry, is set to plead guilty to distributing multiple counts of ketamine. The 42-year-old former Santa Monica doctor, who now runs a medical clinic in Calabasas, is scheduled to formally enter the plea in the coming weeks, according to federal prosecutors.

Plascencia is one of five people arrested after a federal investigation of Perry’s death in October 2023. The Friends actor was discovered unresponsive in his Los Angeles home’s hot tub, and a coroner later ruled that ketamine toxicity was the main cause of death, as per ABC News.

Prosecutors claim Salvador Plascencia played a major role in the illicit source of drugs provided to Matthew Perry in the weeks before his death.

According to court papers, Plascencia supposedly gave Perry the anesthetic ketamine at Perry’s home and in a Santa Monica parking lot. The treatments, prosecutors contend, were done under the cover of medical treatment but were not noted or applied under recognized medical practices.

In text messages with another doctor, Mark Chavez, Plascencia talked about getting Perry a vial of ketamine and spoke of having him as a long-term client.

More about the charges against Salvador Plascencia in the Matthew Perry’s death case

Salvador Plascencia was arrested on suspicion of one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of the distribution of ketamine, and two counts of tampering with or making false records. At first pleading not guilty and released on a $100,000 bond, the new plea deal could prompt up to 40 years in a federal prison.

Though he is prohibited from prescribing controlled substances, his medical license is still active. While his Calabasas clinic was reopened earlier this year, it reportedly did not include him as a treating physician.

According to ABC 7, Plascencia’s co-defendants are Dr. Chavez, Matthew Perry’s personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, and alleged street dealer Eric Fleming, and Jasveen Sangha, named the “Ketamine Queen,” who is the only one who has yet to plead guilty.

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According to authorities, the group supposedly worked together to supply Perry with the drug, occasionally circumventing rules by using fake prescriptions and encrypted messaging apps. Prosecutors state that Plascencia was Matthew Perry’s primary source, but soon the actor started obtaining the ketamine directly from Sangha.

As the legal case continues and sentencing dates approach, the allegations have alarmed the general public about the misuse of drugs prescribed as treatment and the roles of healthcare professionals.

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