Support truly
independent journalism
Pictures of lavish vacations, glamorous photoshoots and glitzy nights out adorn the Instagram page of Jasveen Sangha, the so-called “Ketamine Queen” who has been charged in connection to Matthew Perry’s drug overdose death.
Sangha, 41, and four others were arrested and charged in August with providing the Friends star with the ketamine that killed him on October 28 last year, authorities said yesterday.
The other suspects include Perry’s personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s acquaintance Erik Fleming and two doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez.
According to an indictment unsealed in Los Angeles federal court, Iwamasa and Erik Fleming worked with the two doctors to procure large quantities of ketamine for Perry in the period leading up to his death.
Sangha, meanwhile, is accused of supplying Perry with the ketamine doses that ultimately killed him, US Attorney E. Martin Estrada said at a press conference.
She is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine.
So who is Jasveen Sangha – the woman known as “The Ketamine Queen” of North Hollywood?
Lavish, jetset lifestyle
Prior to her arrest, Sangha appears to have enjoyed taking lavish vacations and club hopping in LA with friends.
Photos shared on her Instagram account appear to show her enjoying a trip to Japan on November 8 – less than two weeks after Perry died.
In the posts, which she labeled as Japan 23, she is seen dressed in a traditional Japanese Kimono, sipping on cocktails and enjoying views from a skyscraper with friends.
Another holiday posted on the highlights section of her social media profile shows her enjoying a getaway to Mexico in February this year.
Sangha posted pictures sunning herself by a luxurious poolside and overlooking the beach, drinking cocktails.
She has also posed for a number of glamorous photoshoots, including one holding a gun which shoots fake dollar bills.
“Play money, but don’t be playing with my money,” she wrote on the caption.
Ties to another ketamine death
But besides Perry, Sangha has also been linked to an another tragic drug-related death, according to prosecutors.
In August 2019, Sangha allegedly sold ketamine to Cody McLaury, 38, in the hours before he died from an overdose.
Following his death, McLaury’s family members sent Sangha a text message saying her ketamine had killed him, prosecutors said.
After receiving the message, Sangha conducted a Google search for “can ketamine be listed as a cause of death?” prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, Sangha continued to sell ketamine from her stash house after McLaury’s death.
Estrada described Sangha’s home in North Hollywood as a “drug-selling emporium” and called it the “Sangha Stash House” in the indictment. It is where she allegedly packaged and distributed the drugs for her “high end” and celebrity clients.
Matthew Perry: From dealing to death
Sangha began supplying Perry with ketamine in mid-October – just days before he died, according to prosecutors.
And, according to the indictment, it was ketamine that she supplied on October 24 2023 that ultimately caused Perry’s death on October 28.
Sangha’s involvement allegedly began when Plasencia – who had allegedly been providing the drug – began having supply issues.
Plasencia saw Perry, 54, as a cash cow, the indictment suggests, citing text messages he sent to Chavez about a month before the actor’s death. “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” he wrote in one. “Let’s find out,” he wrote in another.
In a third text to Chavez, Plasencia described meeting Perry as “like a bad movie.”
Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at times, in one visit shooting him up with 360 milligrams of the drug over the course of an hour, the indictment states. Plasencia also taught Iwamasa how to inject Perry with ketamine, leaving the drug and a supply of syringes behind for him in exchange for $4,500, according to the indictment. At the beginning of October 2023, the indictment says Iwamasa texted Plasencia an order for eight vials of ketamine, referring to them as “8 bottles of dr pepper.”
On October 12 last year, Plasencia injected Perry with “a large dose of ketamine” that unexpectedly caused the actor to “freeze up,” and spiked his blood pressure, rattling the doctor, according to the indictment.
When Plasencia began having supply issues, Perry’s go-betweens branched out to Sangha, who said she had a “master chef” cooking up ketamine for her, the indictment states. And since Perry bought a lot of her product, Sangha provided him with ketamine lollipops as an “add-on,” the indictment states.
In the days leading up to Perry’s death, Iwamasa administered at least 15 shots of ketamine to him, all of which were supplied by Sangha, according to the indictment. It says Iwamasa gave Perry the final three doses of ketamine purchased from Sangha, using needles provided by Plasencia, on October 28 2023 – the date the actor was found dead in his hot tub.
Later that same day, the indictment says Sangha messaged Fleming on Signal, writing: “Delete all our messages.”
Now, nine months on, the five suspects including Sangha are facing a string of charges.
