Matthew Perry’s ‘Ketamine Queen’ Dealer Jailed for 15 Years

Jasveen Sangha, a 42-year-old British-American dual citizen known as the “Ketamine Queen,” has received a 15-year prison sentence for supplying the late “Friends” actor with the anesthetic linked to his 2023 death. The conviction follows her guilty plea to five felony drug charges in September 2024, which included operating a drug distribution network from her North Hollywood home.

Sangha, who had been in custody since August 2024, admitted to providing Matthew Perry with over 50 ketamine doses through an intermediary, Erik Fleming. Federal prosecutors argued she played a pivotal role in the actor’s fatal overdose, which occurred weeks after he began relying on the drug to manage his depression and anxiety during treatment at a clinic. When the clinic declined to raise his dosage, Perry turned to the black market, according to authorities.

Matthew Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home in 2023. His autopsy confirmed the cause of death as “acute effects of ketamine,” which left him unconscious and submerged. The drug, a powerful anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, is used medically for depression but is also abused recreationally. Sangha’s defense attorney, Mark Geragos, argued her sentence should reflect the time already served, as she had been detained for nearly 18 months before the trial.

“I take full responsibility for my actions. These were horrible choices that ultimately proved tragic,” Sangha stated during her sentencing hearing, addressing US District Judge Sherilyn Garnett.

During a home search, investigators uncovered significant quantities of methamphetamine, ecstasy, and ketamine. Sangha also confessed to using her residence as a “stash house” for illicit narcotics. Prosecutors had initially sought a 65-year sentence, citing her role in enabling Perry’s addiction. However, they recommended 15 years, which the court accepted.

Meanwhile, Erik Fleming and Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s personal assistant, remain awaiting sentencing. Fleming supplied the ketamine to Iwamasa, who administered the fatal dose. Two physicians, Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia, who prescribed the drug, were also convicted. Chavez received eight months of home confinement, while Plasencia served two and a half years.

Geragos emphasized that Sangha’s culpability should not exceed the contributions of those directly involved in the overdose. “There’s no way that Jasveen is five times more responsible than the person who injected Matthew Perry or the doctor who administered the drug,” he asserted after the court proceeding.

The case highlights the intersection of prescription medication and recreational drug use, as ketamine became a key factor in Perry’s prolonged battle with substance abuse. Despite his public acknowledgment of years-long struggles, he claimed sobriety in the months preceding his death.

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