The federal case surrounding Matthew Perry’s death has reached another turning point, as a woman known as the “Ketamine Queen” prepares to plead guilty to multiple charges.
According to the Department, of Justice, Jasveen Sangha, 42, will admit guilt to five counts, including one for distributing ketamine that led to death or serious injury. The Los Angeles-based dual citizen of the U.S. and the U.K. originally faced nine charges after investigators described her residence as a “drug-selling emporium” stocked with dozens of vials of ketamine.
Perry, who rose to international fame as Chandler Bing on Friends, was discovered dead in his Los Angeles hot tub in October 2023. A medical examination later confirmed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
Authorities say Sangha was part of a wider network of suppliers that also included two physicians, Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Dr. Mark Chavez, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, and another seller named Eric Fleming. Collectively, officials allege the group took advantage of the actor’s addiction and contributed to his overdose, and each of the five defendants has since agreed to plead guilty.
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Sangha’s attorney, Mark Geragos, told the BBC that “she’s taking responsibility for her actions.” She is expected to plead guilty to maintaining a drug premises, three distribution charges, and one count tied directly to Perry’s death. The Justice Department noted she faces up to 65 years in prison.
Federal investigators also linked Sangha to a 2019 fatal overdose after she sold ketamine to another man, Cody McLaury, just hours before his death. When authorities searched her “stash house” in North Hollywood last year, they reported seizing a myriad of drugs, which included more than 80 vials of ketamine along with methamphetamine, cocaine, Xanax, and thousands of pills.
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