What Perry’s alleged dealer might have called him in coded messages

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Matthew Perry’s suspected ‘ketamine queen’ dealer may have referred to him as Chandler Bing in coded drug messages.

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Jasveen Sangha, 41, is one of five people who have been indicted over the death of Perry, who shot to fame playing neurotic Chandler on NBC’s ‘Friends’ sitcom from 1994 to 2004. The 54-year-old died on Oct. 28 last year from the “acute effects” of anesthetic ketamine after getting into the hot tub of his US$6 million mansion in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.

Sangha – who has been nicknamed ‘LA’s ketamine queen’ is said in plea agreement documents signed by Perry’s acquaintance Erik Fleming to have referred to Perry “using a name of a well-known character that (Perry) portrayed in a television series”.

Fleming, 54, used his agreement with authorities to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of the horse tranquillizer resulting in death.

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Sangha has yet to enter a plea in her case and Fleming’s agreement didn’t specify which name she allegedly used for Perry.

Perry’s other notable TV roles included parts in ‘The Odd Couple’, ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’ and ‘Go On’.

The three others arrested in connection with the actor’s death were his personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, 59 and two doctors, Mark Chavez, 54, and 42-year-old Salvador Plasencia.

Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death and admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine on the day he died.

Chavez has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine after admitting to selling the drug to Plasencia.

Plasencia has – like Sangha – yet to cut a plea deal.

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Perry is thought to have paid the doctors around US$55,000 in cash in the weeks leading up to his death.

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said about the duo when announcing the results of a long-running investigation into the actor’s passing: “These defendants cared more about profiting off of Mr Perry than caring for his well-being.

“Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials.”

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