Several people are now faces federal charges in connection with the ketamine death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, ABC News has learned.
The arrests were made in an early morning operation Thursday and include a doctor, according to law enforcement sources.
The charges will be announced at a news briefing later Thursday with the U.S. attorney for Los Angeles and the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Perry died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54. He was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, police said. A autopsy report revealed that he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
Perry had high levels of ketamine in his blood, apparently passed out and then went underwater, according to the autopsy report.
He was stated to have received ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety, with the most recent treatment coming 1 1/2 weeks before his death, according to the autopsy report. However, the coroner wrote that the ketamine in his system at the time of death could not have come from that infusion therapy, because ketamine’s half-life is three to four hours or less.
His method of ingestion was listed in the report as unknown.
In this March 15, 2017, file photo, actor Matthew Perry attends a premiere in Beverly Hills, California.
Jason Laveris/FilmMagic via Getty Images, FILE
The autopsy report also listed drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects as contributing factors unrelated to the immediate cause of death. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
Prescription drugs and loose pills were found in his home, but nothing near where he was found dead, according to the autopsy report.
Several agencies have been investigating in the months since his death, including the DEA, the Los Angeles Police Department, the United States Postal Service and the US Attorney’s Office.
Perry was known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit series “Friends,” which ran from 1994 to 2004.
This is a development story. Check back for updates.