Federal authorities have made an arrest in connection with the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, law enforcement sources told The Times on Thursday.
Few details were available and officials planned a news conference later in the morning.
Sources told the Times that several search warrants were issued against people in the investigation and evidence was seized. Federal charges have been filed against several people, including at least one who holds a medical license, according to the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the case. Details of the charges will be released by the U.S. attorney’s office.
Perry was found dead in the hot tub of his pool at his Pacific Palisades home on Oct. 28. Traces of ketamine — which is sometimes used to treat depression — were found in his stomach, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.
But the level found in his blood was about the same as would be used during general anesthesia, his autopsy showed.
The Times reported in June that investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Service had linked several people to the ketamine supply.
The drug in Perry’s system caused cardiovascular hyperstimulation and respiratory depression, the medical examiner said. Other factors that contributed to his death included drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
The autopsy report revealed that Perry had no other drugs in his system and had been sober for 19 months at the time of his death. There was no evidence of illicit drugs or paraphernalia in his home.
The medical examiner also noted that Perry, 54, suffered from diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is a group of diseases that cause blocked airways and breathing problems. He once smoked two packs of cigarettes a day.
A coroner’s investigator interviewed a person close to Perry who described him as being in “good spirits” and said he had stopped smoking two weeks before his death and was weaning himself off ketamine.
Ketamine is a legal drug commonly used as an anesthetic.
But it is increasingly being offered “off-label” in private clinics to try to treat depression and other mental health disorders. In 2006, the National Institute of Mental Health concluded that an intravenous dose of ketamine had rapid antidepressant effects.
Experts say ketamine is generally safe, with few overdoses reported. However, people with underlying medical conditions, such as high blood pressure or breathing problems, are at higher risk of adverse outcomes.
Times reporter Libor Jany contributed to this report.
