Who is Jasveen Sangha, the ‘ketamine queen’ tied to Matthew Perry’s death

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — One of the five people charged in “Friends” actor Matthew Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose last year is Jasveen Sangha.

Sangha appeared in shackles for her arraignment at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles on Thursday. She pleaded not guilty.

Her attorney sought to have her released on bond. But the judge expressed concerns about her behavior in recent years and especially following Perry’s death and described her “unrelenting return to drug dealing” after “her involvement in 2 overdose deaths including Perry’s and an individual in 2019 allegedly linked to her dealing.

Judge Alka Sagar revoked her bond and remanded her to custody of the U.S. marshals. Her next hearing is set for Oct. 15.

What we know about the ‘ketamine queen’

• A dual citizen of the United States and Great Britain, Jasveen Sangha has been nicknamed the “ketamine queen” of Los Angeles.
• Sangha, 41, is accused of selling Perry the batch of ketamine that killed him.
• She was arrested on Thursday and is one of two lead defendants in the case surrounding the actor’s death. The other lead defendant is Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, a licensed medical doctor known as “Dr. P.”
• Sangha is accused of selling 50 vials of ketamine for approximately $11,000 in cash over two weeks to Perry, working with Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa and another individual named Eric Fleming to distribute the drugs to Perry, according to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada.
• After Perry’s death, some of the co-conspirators allegedly talked about distancing themselves from the actor, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday. After the actor’s death was reported in the news, Sangha instructed Fleming on Oct. 28, 2023, “Delete all our messages,” according to the prosecutors.
• The indictment alleges that Plasencia and another doctor, Dr. Mark Chavez, were the initial sources of Perry’s ketamine supply, but at one point federal officials believe the drugs became too expensive and Perry switched to a new source, including Sangha, a federal source said.
• A search of Sangha’s home following Perry’s death revealed a “drug-selling emporium,” including ketamine, methamphetamine, cocaine, scales and ledgers, Estrada said.
• The indictment alleges that Sangha was additionally aware of the danger of ketamine after selling the drug to someone who hours later died from an overdose in August 2019. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Sanga allegedly sold ketamine to Cody McLaury, 31, in August 2019 in L.A. hours before his overdose death. After McLaury’s family member sent Sangha a text message saying that her ketamine killed him, Sangha conducted a Google search for: “can ketamine be listed as a cause of death,” officials said.
• Sangha faces a maximum of life in prison, prosecutors said.

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