Federal prosecutors in California recommended a 15-year prison sentence Wednesday for the woman who admitted to providing the ketamine that killed "Friends" actor Matthew Perry in 2023.
Background
Jasveen Sangha, 42, known as the "Ketamine Queen," operated a large-scale drug-trafficking business out of her Hollywood home since 2019, according to prosecutors. The case against Sangha uncovered a complex network of dealers and medical professionals who supplied the actor with ketamine in the months leading to his death.
Perry, 54, was found dead in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home in October 2023. An autopsy confirmed acute effects of ketamine caused his death. While the actor was reportedly undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression, he was illegally procuring the drug outside of medical settings.
The investigation revealed that Perry's live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 60, injected him with the fatal dose of ketamine, which came from Sangha. Iwamasa told authorities that Perry met Salvador Plasencia, an urgent care doctor, weeks before his death and paid him as much as $55,000 for ketamine in the month leading up to Perry's death.
In addition to the charges related to Perry's death, prosecutors revealed that Sangha sold four vials of ketamine to Cody McLaury in 2019. McLaury died hours after receiving the drugs. According to prosecutors, Sangha continued selling methamphetamine and ketamine after both deaths.
The Investigation
Last year, Sangha pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises, distributing ketamine, and distributing ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. In her plea deal, she confessed to working with another dealer to sell dozens of vials of ketamine to Perry, including the drugs that killed him.
The investigation determined that in the month of Perry's death, Sangha and co-conspirator Erik Fleming sold 51 vials of ketamine to Iwamasa. On the day Perry died, Iwamasa injected him with three vials of ketamine.
Multiple others have been charged in connection with Perry's death. Salvador Plasencia, 43, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in federal prison in December after pleading guilty. A second doctor who pleaded guilty to supplying ketamine to Perry was sentenced to eight months of home confinement in December. Both Iwamasa and Fleming have pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing later this month.
Key Takeaways
- Prosecutors recommended a 15-year sentence for Jasveen Sangha, the "Ketamine Queen"
- Sangha operated a drug-trafficking business from her Hollywood home since 2019
- She pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine resulting in death in Matthew Perry's case
- The investigation revealed a second fatal overdose linked to Sangha in 2019
- Five people have been charged in connection with Perry's death
- Sangha is scheduled for sentencing in early April
What's Next
Sangha will be sentenced in early April. Her co-conspirators Kenneth Iwamasa and Erik Fleming are scheduled for sentencing hearings in late April. The case represents one of the most high-profile drug distribution investigations involving a celebrity death in recent years.