Indian-origin ‘Ketamine Queen’ agrees to plead guilty in Matthew Perry drug death case
Jasveen Sangha, 42, a dual citizen of the US and the UK with roots in India, admitted to five charges in Los Angeles, including the distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury
- Aug 20, 2025,
- Updated Aug 20, 2025 9:55 AM IST
An Indian-origin woman nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen” has agreed to plead guilty to supplying the drugs that killed Friends star Matthew Perry, the US Department of Justice said on Monday.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, a dual citizen of the US and the UK with roots in India, admitted to five charges in Los Angeles, including the distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. She became the fifth and final defendant charged in the high-profile case.
Federal prosecutors described her Los Angeles home as a “drug-selling emporium.” Sangha is expected to appear in federal court in the coming weeks to formalise her plea agreement.
Perry’s last days
According to prosecutors, Sangha sold Perry 25 vials of ketamine for $6,000 just four days before the actor was found unresponsive in his hot tub on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles medical examiner ruled his death was caused by lethal levels of ketamine in his system.
The other defendants include Dr Salvador Plasencia, Dr Mark Chavez, Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, who allegedly helped the actor purchase and inject ketamine, and Eric Fleming, who resold drugs obtained from Sangha to Perry. None has been sentenced yet.
From finance to drug empire: Who is Jasveen?
Sangha, of Indian origin, graduated from Calabasas High in 2001, earned a degree in social sciences from the University of California, Irvine in 2005, and completed her MBA at Hult Business School in 2010. She briefly worked at Merrill Lynch before allegedly turning to the illicit drug trade.
Her social media projected a lavish lifestyle of luxury travel and high-end beauty treatments. But investigators say she ran an underground network supplying Hollywood clients. In a March 2024 raid, authorities recovered 80 vials of ketamine along with thousands of pills, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax.
This was not the first death linked to her drugs. In 2019, client Cody McLaury died of a ketamine overdose after purchasing from her. Prosecutors revealed that Sangha later searched online: “Can ketamine be listed as a cause of death?”
Facing decades in prison
Reports in the LA Times say Sangha could face up to 65 years in prison. Prosecutors may seek a reduced sentence if she continues to cooperate. Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, said, “My client is accepting her responsibilities.”
Sangha has been in federal custody since August 2024 and is expected to enter her plea formally in the coming weeks.
An Indian-origin woman nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen” has agreed to plead guilty to supplying the drugs that killed Friends star Matthew Perry, the US Department of Justice said on Monday.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, a dual citizen of the US and the UK with roots in India, admitted to five charges in Los Angeles, including the distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. She became the fifth and final defendant charged in the high-profile case.
Federal prosecutors described her Los Angeles home as a “drug-selling emporium.” Sangha is expected to appear in federal court in the coming weeks to formalise her plea agreement.
Perry’s last days
According to prosecutors, Sangha sold Perry 25 vials of ketamine for $6,000 just four days before the actor was found unresponsive in his hot tub on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles medical examiner ruled his death was caused by lethal levels of ketamine in his system.
The other defendants include Dr Salvador Plasencia, Dr Mark Chavez, Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, who allegedly helped the actor purchase and inject ketamine, and Eric Fleming, who resold drugs obtained from Sangha to Perry. None has been sentenced yet.
From finance to drug empire: Who is Jasveen?
Sangha, of Indian origin, graduated from Calabasas High in 2001, earned a degree in social sciences from the University of California, Irvine in 2005, and completed her MBA at Hult Business School in 2010. She briefly worked at Merrill Lynch before allegedly turning to the illicit drug trade.
Her social media projected a lavish lifestyle of luxury travel and high-end beauty treatments. But investigators say she ran an underground network supplying Hollywood clients. In a March 2024 raid, authorities recovered 80 vials of ketamine along with thousands of pills, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax.
This was not the first death linked to her drugs. In 2019, client Cody McLaury died of a ketamine overdose after purchasing from her. Prosecutors revealed that Sangha later searched online: “Can ketamine be listed as a cause of death?”
Facing decades in prison
Reports in the LA Times say Sangha could face up to 65 years in prison. Prosecutors may seek a reduced sentence if she continues to cooperate. Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, said, “My client is accepting her responsibilities.”
Sangha has been in federal custody since August 2024 and is expected to enter her plea formally in the coming weeks.