Who Is Jasveen Sangha, The "Ketamine Queen" Involved In Matthew Perry's Death

Jasveen Sangha, dubbed the "Ketamine Queen", has agreed to plead guilty to selling the drugs that killed Friends actor Matthew Perry on October 28, 2023, the US Department of Justice announced on Monday. The 42-year-old will plead guilty to five charges in Los Angeles, including one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. She has become the fifth and final defendant charged in the case. The others are Dr Salvador Plasencia, Dr Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa and Eric Fleming. The defendants have yet to be sentenced.

Iwamasa worked as Perry's live-in assistant and also helped the actor purchase and inject ketamine. Meanwhile, Fleming sold the ketamine he'd gotten from Sangha to Perry.

Federal prosecutors called her Los Angeles home a "drug-selling emporium". She is expected to appear in federal court in the coming weeks to strike a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

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Who Is "Ketamine Queen" Jasveen Sangha?

Sangha is a dual citizen of the US and the UK. Her social media presence revealed that she enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, which included luxury vacations and high-end beauty treatments.

According to NBC News, Sangha graduated from Calabasas High in 2001, earned a Bachelor's from the University of California, Irvine in 2005, and completed her MBA from Hult Business School in 2010. A university spokesperson told the media outlet that she earned a degree in social sciences and landed a job at Merrill Lynch after graduating.

She allegedly ran an underground drug operation, as authorities found 80 vials of ketamine during a search before her arrest in March 2024, along with thousands of pills such as methamphetamine, cocaine and Xanax. She apparently started selling the drugs to multiple A-listers from her North Hollywood residence, BBC reported.

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Sangha, who has been in federal custody since August 2024, is expected to formally enter her pleas in the coming weeks.

As per the reports, Sangha sold Perry 25 vials of ketamine for $6,000 just four days before his death.

In 2019, one of her clients, Cody McLaury, died from a ketamine overdose after purchasing it from her. She allegedly looked up "Can ketamine be listed as a cause of death?" after receiving a text from McLaury's sister.

LA Times reported that she faces up to 65 years in prison based on the plea agreement. However, the federal prosecutors stated in the plea agreement that they could seek to lessen the time served only if she accepts responsibility. As quoted, Mark Geragos, one of Sangha's lawyers, said, "My client is accepting her responsibilities."

What happened to Matthew Perry?

The 54-year-old Perry was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home. Immediately after that, a criminal investigation was launched. An autopsy discovered he had high levels of ketamine in his system. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine, typically used as a surgical anaesthetic, was the primary cause of death.