A woman from Los Angeles in the United States, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for distributing drugs that led to the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty last September to five charges, including one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death or bodily injury.
Prosecutors described the American-British dual-national’s North Hollywood residence as a “drug-selling emporium,” where she supplied a range of drugs to wealthy and influential clients.
Perry, who had battled addiction for years, was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home in October 2023. Investigators concluded his death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine.
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic with hallucinogenic properties that should only be administered by a licensed physician.
Sangha broke down in tears as Perry’s relatives addressed the court before the judge announced her sentence.
The judge emphasized that she must face the consequences of her actions, noting her lack of remorse in the years following her arrest.
Given the opportunity to speak in court, Sangha admitted that her poor decisions had shattered lives and said she was deeply ashamed and sorry for her actions.
Ahead of the sentencing, Perry’s stepmother, Debbie Perry, urged the judge to impose the maximum prison term. She stated that Sangha caused “irreversible” damage.
“You caused this… You who has talent for business enough to make money chose the one way that hurts people,” Debbie Perry said. “Please give this heartless woman the maximum prison sentence so she won’t be able to hurt other families like ours.”
Federal authorities discovered dozens of ketamine vials during a raid on Sangha’s home and accused her of supplying the injectable drug from her North Hollywood “stash house” since at least 2019.
Thousands of pills, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax, were also seized.
Initially denying the charges, Sangha later changed her plea in August, just weeks before her trial was set to begin.
As part of the agreement, she also admitted to selling ketamine to Cody McLaury in August 2019, who died hours later from an overdose, according to the US Department of Justice.
She faced a maximum sentence of 65 years in federal prison and has been in detention since August 2024, her attorneys said.
Several letters in support of Sangha were submitted by family and friends, and her lawyers requested a more lenient sentence in March, arguing she had “accepted responsibility for serious criminal conduct” and had no prior record.
Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the iconic 1990s sitcom Friends, had struggled with substance addiction for decades and had been using ketamine under supervised therapy for depression.
Sangha is one of five people, including medical doctors and Perry’s assistant, who US authorities say exploited the actor’s addiction for profit, supplying him with ketamine that led to his fatal overdose.
The other four have also agreed to plead guilty.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who supplied Perry with ketamine in the weeks leading to his death, was sentenced to 30 months in prison last December. Dr. Mark Chavez, a California doctor who sold ketamine to Perry, received eight months of home detention and three years of supervised release.
Chavez admitted to obtaining ketamine from his clinic and a wholesale distributor through fraudulent prescriptions and then supplying it to Plasencia, who provided it to Perry.
Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who helped purchase and administer ketamine to the actor, is due for sentencing later this month, though his legal team has requested a postponement.
Eric Fleming, who sold ketamine obtained from Sangha to Perry, is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
