A dealer known as the “Queen of Ketamine” pleaded guilty to supplying drugs linked to the death of actor Matthew Perry during a court appearance in California on Wednesday.
Jasveen Sangha could face over 60 years in prison after admitting to multiple charges, including distributing ketamine that caused death or serious injury.
Sangha, who holds dual citizenship in the US and the UK, has been in federal custody since August 2024 and is set to be sentenced on December 10th.
The 42-year-old is the fifth individual to acknowledge involvement in the circumstances surrounding the actor’s tragic passing, as Perry had faced significant struggles with addiction for years.
Perry, 54, was found deceased in October 2023 in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles.
A criminal investigation commenced after an autopsy revealed dangerously high levels of ketamine in his system.
Dr. Salvador Placencia entered a guilty plea for distributing ketamine just weeks prior to Perry’s death.
Another doctor, Mark Chavez, confessed last year to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry.
Placencia reportedly purchased ketamine from Chavez and resold it to actors in both the US and Canada at inflated prices.
“I wonder how much this idiot will pay,” Placencia was quoted in a text message.
Prosecutors indicated that addicts were shelling out $2,000 per vial of ketamine, while his dealer was acquiring it for just $12.
Sangha collaborated with intermediary Erik Fleming to sell 51 vials of ketamine to Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the ketamine she obtained, including on October 28, 2023, when she administered at least three doses of the drug that led to the actor’s death.
After hearing news reports of Perry’s passing, Sangha attempted to erase evidence.
“Please delete all messages,” she instructed Fleming.
When investigators raided Sangha’s North Hollywood residence, they uncovered methamphetamine, ketamine, ecstasy, cocaine, counterfeit Xanax pills, as well as money-counting machines, scales, and devices for detecting surveillance equipment.
“It’s almost plain.”
On Wednesday, Sangha admitted to operating a drug-related facility, acknowledged three counts of ketamine distribution, and pleaded guilty to one count of causing death or serious injury through ketamine distribution.
Her plea also recognizes that she sold four vials of ketamine to a man named Cody McClary in August 2019.
McClary succumbed to an overdose just hours later.
“She is accountable for her actions,” stated her lawyer, Mark Jelagos, in earlier remarks.
Others implicated in supplying drugs to Perry are anticipated to face court proceedings in the coming months to determine their outcomes.
Perry was reportedly using ketamine as part of a supervised treatment for depression.
However, prosecutors allege he had developed an obsession with substances before his death. Ketamine, meanwhile, has gained popularity as a party drug known for its psychedelic effects.
“Friends,” the show that chronicled the lives of six friends in New York, propelled Perry to fame as a previously unknown actor.
His role as the sarcastic Chandler Bing brought him significant wealth, but it concealed a long-standing battle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol.
In 2018, he suffered a drug-related medical emergency and underwent several surgeries.
In his memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry detailed undergoing detoxifications numerous times.
“I’ve been mostly sober since 2001,” he wrote.
