Jasveen Sangha, who has been dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” has just learned her fate after admitting to providing drugs to the former Friends star Matthew Perry before his death in 2023.
‘Ketamine Queen’ Sentenced
Sangha, 42, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday, April 8. This came after she pleaded 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 or serious bodily injury.
According to prosecutors, Sangha distributed drugs to Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry’s. Fleming then distributed the drugs to Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
In October of 2023, Sangha and Fleming sold Perry, via Iwamasa, 51 vials of ketamine. On October 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three shots of the ketamine that came from Sangha. This caused Perry to pass away at the age of 54.
“After learning from news reports of Perry’s death, Sangha called Fleming on Signal to discuss how to distance themselves from it,” read a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California. “That day, Sangha updated the settings on the Signal apps to automatically delete her messages with Fleming. She further instructed Fleming to ‘Delete all our messages.'”
Perry was found face down in his jacuzzi at his Los Angeles mansion. An autopsy later found that he died from acute effects of ketamine and other contributing factors such as drowning, coronary artery disease and effects from buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
Prosecutors Sound Off
Prosecutors had asked for Sangha to be sentenced to fifteen years. In arguing for this, they claimed that she kept selling drugs even after she learned that the ketamine that she’d sold Perry had caused his death.
“She didn’t care and kept selling,” prosecutors said. “[The] Defendant’s actions show a cold callousness and disregard for life. She chose profits over people, and her actions have caused immense pain to the victims’ families and loved ones.”
“That defendant had the opportunity to stop after realizing the impact of her dealing — but simply chose not to,” they added.
Before Sangha was sentenced, Perry’s stepfather Keith Morrison of Dateline fame addressed the court.
“I feel bad for you Miss Sangha,” Morrison said. “I don’t hate you. You are a drug dealer.”
Iwamasa and Fleming have also pleaded guilty in connection to Perry’s death. They are each set to be sentenced in the coming months.
On top of that, doctors Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia have pleaded guilty to charges related to Perry’s death. Back in December, Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. Meanwhile, Chavez has been sentenced to 8 months of home detention and three years of supervised release.
Perry was best known for portraying Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends from 1994 until 2004. He was nominated for five Emmys and one Golden Globe throughout his decades-long career.
Perry was a true legend, and there will never be another one like him. We’re glad that those responsible for his death are being brought to justice, and that the “Ketamine Queen” herself is behind bars where she belongs.
Rest in peace, Matthew Perry.