A California doctor who supplied ketamine to Friends star ​Matthew Perry has ⁤been sentenced ‍to 30 months in prison, becoming the first person⁢ to receive prison time⁣ in the actor’s overdose death.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia⁤ was one of five charged‍ in a multiyear⁤ federal investigation‌ that ⁣examined how Perry acquired the dissociative anaesthetic through an underground drug network in Hollywood.

Perry, 54, was ​found dead at ⁤his Los ⁣Angeles home in 2023 ⁤after⁣ years of‍ struggling with depression and addiction.

Perry’s family asked the judge for a lengthy sentence, calling Plasencia “most culpable”, and ‍detailed ‌their struggle to understand why​ he repeatedly supplied Perry‌ with drugs.

“Mr. Plasencia accepts the Court’s sentence today ⁢with humility⁣ and deep remorse,” his ​legal⁤ team said in a ‌statement⁤ to‌ the BBC.

“He was a good doctor loved by those he‍ treated. He is not a villain,” the statement reads. “He is someone ​who made serious mistakes in his treatment⁤ decisions ⁤involving the off-label use ​of ketamine.”

Plasencia pleaded guilty over the summer to four counts of distributing‌ ketamine. The charges carried a maximum of 40‌ years‌ in ‍prison, though prosecutors had asked ‍for a sentence ‌of three‍ years.

The four others charged in the case – including another doctor,his assistant and the⁢ two people who supplied the ketamine ⁤dose that⁣ killed him – have also pleaded guilty ‌and⁣ are set to‍ be sentenced ‌in⁤ the coming months.⁤

Best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends, the sitcom star was vocal and public over⁣ the years ​with his struggles‌ with depression and⁢ drug addiction.​

“Matthew’s recovery counted on you saying NO,” his father, John, and step-mother, Debbie, wrote⁢ in an emotional letter ⁣ahead of Plasencia’s ⁣sentencing.⁣ “Your motives? I can’t imagine. A​ doctor whose life is devoted to helping people?”

The actor’s father and stepmother said the loss had “devastated” their family ⁤as⁣ their “next patriarch” is now‍ gone, blaming Plasencia – ⁤a doctor who Perry’s mother‌ and stepfather called ‍a ⁣”jackal” who repeatedly broke his Hippocratic ‌oath.

Perry’s​ parents‍ filed the ‌letters, known as victim impact statements, to the judge to consider ahead of ⁣making his‌ sentencing decision.

His mother⁤ and step-father, ⁣Suzanne and Keith Morrison, ⁢in their victim‍ statement highlighted text messages included in court ​records, where Plasencia called ⁢Perry a “moron” and wondered how much he‍ would be⁣ willing to pay for‌ the drugs.

“Sometimes it’s a little ⁢easier to understand when a ⁤person commits a terrible crime.‌ Maybe in the heat of passion, or as ‍that person makes one very bad decision,” they wrote.”But…a doctor? Who tra