Keep up with LAist.
If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Jasveen Sangha, a North Hollywood drug dealer known as “Ketamine Queen,” has pleaded guilty to supplying the drugs responsible for Friends actor Matthew Perry’s death.
Sangha now faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in federal prison. Her sentence will be determined at a future court hearing on Dec. 10.
Perry, who had well-documented addiction issues, was found dead in a hot tub at his home on Oct. 28, 2023. The L.A. County medical examiner determined that the cause of death was from the “acute effects of ketamine.”
The guilty plea
Sangha, who has been in federal custody since August 2024, faced 18 federal charges linked to Perry’s fatal overdose. Ultimately, she pleaded guilty to the following counts:
One count of maintaining a drug-involved premises.Three counts of distribution of ketamine.One count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
As part of the plea agreement, Sangha also admitted to other offenses without pleading guilty. Those include possessing various drugs with intent to distribute, and selling four vials of ketamine to another man, Cody McLaury, who died of a drug overdose in August 2019.
The investigation
Federal investigators also found that Sangha had attempted to distance herself from Perry’s death, instructing her associate Erik Fleming to delete their text messages. Fleming pleaded guilty to two charges linked to Perry’s death last year.
This makes Sangha the last of the five people charged in connection with Perry’s death to plead guilty. The others include doctors and Perry’s live-in assistant.
Up to this point, no one involved in the investigation has been sentenced. Hearings for the other four defendants are set to take place through December.
The context
Sangha is one of two lead defendants who each faced 18 federal charges in the case. The other, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine in July, the Associated Press reported. He now faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Ketamine overdoses are relatively rare. The drug is federally approved for use as an anesthetic and to treat depression, though it’s commonly taken illegally as a recreational drug. Ketamine was involved in fewer than 1% of overdose deaths between 2019 and 2023, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.