A British-American woman known as the “Ketamine Queen” has admitted to supplying the drugs that killed Friends star Matthew Perry.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty in a Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday to five charges, including distributing ketamine resulting in death. She had originally faced nine counts.
Investigators described her Los Angeles residence as a “drug-selling emporium,” seizing more than 80 vials of ketamine, along with large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax.
Prosecutors said Sangha ran her operation for years, catering to high-end clients and celebrities while maintaining a glamorous social life that included appearances at the Oscars and Golden Globes.
Perry was discovered dead in his jacuzzi in October 2023.
A medical examiner concluded that his death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine.
According to officials, Sangha was part of a network of suppliers who profited from Perry’s addiction.
Among those charged were two Los Angeles doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, who sold ketamine directly; Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in assistant, who allegedly injected the drug; and Eric Fleming, who acted as a middleman for Sangha’s supply.
All four have also agreed to plead guilty and will be sentenced later this year.
As part of her plea deal, Sangha also admitted to selling ketamine in 2019 to Cody McLaury, who fatally overdosed within hours of the purchase. Prosecutors said this established a pattern of reckless disregard for human life.
Ketamine, classified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as a dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, is legally restricted to controlled medical use. Experts warn it can distort perception, cause dangerous dissociation, and requires professional monitoring when administered.
Sangha’s sentencing is scheduled for December 10 in Los Angeles. She faces a maximum prison term of 65 years. The Justice Department said her case reveals the extent of Los Angeles’s underground ketamine trade, which one medical professional described as the “wild west” of prescription misuse.