A woman nicknamed “Queen Ketamine” agreed to plead for the sale of drugs that led to actor Matthew Perry’s death in the Friends series.
Jasveen Sangha, nicknamed “Ketamine Queen” Photo: X
Jasveen Sangha, 42, will plead guilty for five charges in Los Angeles, including one of ketamine distribution that has led to death or bodily injury, according to the Justice Department.
It has double nationality, American and British, being initially accused of nine charges. Federal prosecutors called her home in Los Angeles “An empire of drug sale” And they found dozens of ketamine vials during a descent.
Perry was found dead in a jacuzzi in the yard of his house in Los Angeles in October 2023, and the autopsy concluded that his death was caused by acute effects of ketamine, writes BBC.
Sangha is one of the five people – among which are the actor’s nurser, who, according to American officials, provided Ketamine to Perry, taking advantage of his drug addiction and leading to his death through overdose.
These include: Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Dr. Mark Chavez, two doctors who sold Kenneth Iwamasa, who worked as Perry’s personal assistant and helped to purchase the actor and Eric Fleming, who sold Ketamine to Perry.
All five have agreed to plead guilty in this case. Sangha’s criminal trial has been postponed several times and was currently scheduled to start next month.
It is expected that she will compare before the Federal Court in the coming weeks to officially declare her guilt, as part of the agreement with the federal authorities.
Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, told the BBC that “She assumes responsibility for her actions ”.
She intends to plead guilty for an accusation of maintenance of a premises involved in drug trafficking, three charges of ketamine distribution and one accusation of ketamine distribution that has led to serious bodily injury or injury.
Sangha risks a maximum sentence of 65 years in the federal prison, according to the Department of Justice.
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects, according to the US Drug Administration (DEA). It can distort visual and auditory perception and cause the user to feel disconnected and unpublished.
It is used as an anesthetic injectable for humans and animals, because it makes patients feel detached from pain and environment.
The substance should be administered only by a doctor, investigators say, and patients who have taken this medicine should be monitored by a professional due to possible harmful effects.
Perry’s death and the investigation into how he obtained such a large amount of drugs over several years have provided an image on the Hollywood Ketamine trafficking network, which a doctor called the “Wild West” in an interview with the BBC.
As part of the agreement to recognize the guilt, Sangha also pleaded for the sale of ketamine to a man named Cody McLaury in August 2019, who died a few hours after the acquisition due to an overdose, according to the Justice Department.
The federal authorities have accused Sangha of providing ketamine from her “Warehouse” in North Hollywood since 2019, claiming in an act of accusing that she worked with luxury stars and customers.
Over 80 ketamine vials were found there following a search before its arrest in March 2024, along with thousands of pills that included methamphetamine, cocaine and xanax.
The house, called “Sangha Stash House” in a federal accusation, was the place where it is supposed to pack and distribute drugs.
It is said that Sangha was spinning in the circles of the stars, one of her friends declaring for the Daily Mail that she participated in the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
Her presence on social networks described an extravagant lifestyle, including parties and travel to Japan and Mexico.
