Matthew Perry's death from ketamine could lead to the arrests of 'multiple people'

Several people could face charges over Friends star Matthew Perry’s death from acute ketamine effects last year, it has been reported.

According to People.com, the investigation into Perry’s death is “nearing its conclusion” and police believe there are "multiple people" responsible for the tragedy.

The final decision on whether or not to press charges will be made by the US Attorney’s Office, the source added to the publication.

Evening Standard has reached out to the US Attorney's office.

Perry died in October 2023, at the age of 54, and investigations were swiftly launched at both federal and local levels to determine who supplied the actor with the ketamine that caused his death.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) are involved in investigating how he obtained the drug, the LAPD confirmed on Tuesday.

Sources close to Perry claimed he was doing ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety.

However, his last infusion therapy was one and a half weeks before his death and the coroner assessed that the ketamine in his system “could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine’s half-life is three to four hours, or less.”

A toxicology report confirmed he died from “acute effects" of the drug, which led to his drowning in his hot tub.  His autopsy later revealed that the ketamine level in his blood was sufficient for general anaesthesia during surgery and was the primary cause of death.

Investigators are looking=g into whether Perry received drugs through the mail from a dealer, according to TMZ.  Perry had said that his drug addiction escalated after a jet ski accident in 1997, where he became addicted to powerful painkillers.

In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he revealed that he spent $9 million on his journey to sobriety, attended 6,000 AA meetings, and entered rehab 15 times.