Perry purchased large amounts of ketamine from Sangha
A woman known as the ‘Ketamine Queen’ has pleaded guilty to supplying Friends star Matthew Perry with the drug that killed him.
Jasveen Sangha initially denied the charges but changed her plea in a signed statement in August, weeks before her trial date.
The dual US and UK citizen appeared in a federal court in Los Angeles and admitted five charges, including distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
She faces up to 65 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
Prosecutors dropped three further counts of distributing ketamine and one count of distributing methamphetamine that were unrelated to Perry’s case.
In a statement following the plea deal, her lawyer Mark Geragos said she was “taking responsibility for her actions”.
The judge is not bound by the plea agreement, though prosecutors confirmed they would seek less than the maximum sentence.
Perry died aged 54 in October 2023.
The actor, who spoke openly about addiction, had released a memoir a year earlier during a period of sobriety.
He had been prescribed ketamine by his doctor as a legal, off-label treatment for depression. But in the weeks before his death, he sought more of the drug illegally.
Prosecutors said Perry purchased large amounts of ketamine from Sangha, including 25 vials for £4,464 in cash four days before his death.
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It can distort perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control.
Sangha, described by prosecutors as the “Ketamine Queen of North Hollywood”, is the fifth and final defendant to plead guilty in connection with Perry’s death.
The actor’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, acquaintance Erik Fleming, and physician Mark Chavez pleaded guilty when charges were announced in August 2024.
Another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, initially denied the charges but changed his plea in July. Sangha and Plasencia had been the primary targets of the investigation.
The three other defendants pleaded guilty in exchange for co-operation, which included statements implicating Sangha and Plasencia.
According to prosecutors, Perry bought ketamine from Sangha after being introduced by Fleming.
On the day of Perry’s death, Sangha told Fleming they should delete their messages, according to her indictment.
Sangha will be sentenced on December 10, 2025. The other four defendants are also awaiting sentencing.
Loading ...