Jasveen Sangha, infamously known as the "Ketamine Queen," has agreed to plead guilty to federal drug charges in connection with the death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry. The 42-year-old is the last of five defendants to strike a plea deal with prosecutors, avoiding a trial that was scheduled for September.
Sangha's plea agreement includes one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, and three counts of distribution of ketamine. She faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison. Specifically, she could face up to 20 years for the drug-involved premises count and 10 to 15 years for the other counts, though these may be served concurrently. Sangha, a dual citizen of the U.S. and the United Kingdom, has been in custody for approximately a year and is expected to formally enter her guilty plea in the coming weeks.
Matthew Perry, 54, was found dead in his hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office determined his cause of death to be the "acute effects of ketamine," with contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder. Perry had been receiving ketamine injections for depression and anxiety. However, the autopsy report indicated that the ketamine found in his system at the time of his death was not from his prior infusion therapy, as the drug's half-life is only 3 to 4 hours.
The investigation revealed a network of individuals involved in supplying Perry with ketamine. According to the plea agreement, Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, repeatedly injected the actor with ketamine that Sangha supplied to Erik Fleming, who acted as a middleman. Iwamasa has also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death and is scheduled to be sentenced in November. Fleming pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Two doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, also pleaded guilty to charges related to distributing ketamine to Perry. Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine. Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
The case against Sangha reveals the extent of her drug dealing activities. According to her plea agreement, a search of her North Hollywood residence uncovered over 1,700 methamphetamine pills, 79 vials of liquid ketamine, MDMA tablets, counterfeit Xanax pills, and cocaine. Investigators also found a gold money-counting machine. Sangha admitted to dealing drugs since at least 2019. In 2019, she sold the vials for $120 each.
In October 2023, Fleming contacted Sangha via the encrypted messaging app Signal, seeking ketamine for Perry. Sangha offered a free sample, writing, "It's unmarked but it's amazing — he take one and try it and I have more if he likes". Fleming then sent a screenshot of the message to Perry's assistant, Iwamasa, writing: "Just got this from my person. She only deal with high end and celebs. If it were not great stuff she'd lose her business". On the day of Perry's death, Sangha instructed Fleming to delete all their messages.
Sangha's criminal activities extend beyond the Perry case. She also admitted to selling four vials of ketamine to Cody McLaury in August 2019, who died hours later from a drug overdose. After a family member accused her of selling the ketamine that killed McLaury, Sangha searched "can ketamine be listed as a cause of death" on Google.
Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic that can cause serious harm. Short-term side effects include headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, blurred vision, and nausea. Unsupervised ketamine use carries serious health risks, including respiratory depression. Long-term, heavy ketamine use is associated with memory problems, depression, anxiety, and gastrointestinal issues. At high doses, ketamine can cause psychosis.
