‘Ketamine Queen’ Learns Fate In Matthew Perry Case

A woman known as the “Ketamine Queen” was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges connected to the death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry. 

Jasveen Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty last September 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.

Perry’s family had pushed for a harsh sentence ahead of the hearing. 

“The pain you’ve caused to hundreds, maybe thousands, is irreversible,” the actor’s stepmother, Debbie Perry, said in a victim impact statement. “There is no joy… No light in the window. They won’t be back.” 

“You caused this… You who has talent for business enough to make money chose the one way that hurts people,” the actor’s stepmother continued. “Please give this heartless woman the maximum prison sentence so she won’t be able to hurt other families like ours.”

Prosecutors said Sangha sold 51 vials of ketamine to Perry through his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

They also accused Sangha of continuing to sell drugs even after learning that the ketamine she sold had contributed to Perry’s death.

“She didn’t care and kept selling,” the attorneys wrote in a memorandum. “[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.”

Prosecutors further said Sangha had opportunities to stop but “simply chose not to,” and alleged that she later exchanged texts with her associates to try to distance herself from Perry’s death.

Perry was found unresponsive, face down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office determined he had drowned, with ketamine listed as a contributing factor. The level of ketamine found in his system was close to a range used for general anesthesia, The Daily Wire previously reported.

Four other defendants pleaded guilty in connection with the case, including Dr. Mark Chavez and Dr. Salvador Plasencia. Plasencia, 44, is serving a 30-month prison sentence, while Chavez, 55, was sentenced to three years of probation, eight months of home detention, and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service.