Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Matthew Perry’s Death: ‘Ketamine Queen’ Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

by · Variety

Jasveen Sangha, the drug dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen,” was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday for illegally selling the ketamine that killed “Friends” star Matthew Perry in 2023.

Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty last year to five federal charges in connection to Perry’s death, including 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.

Related Stories

'Paradise' Season 2 Finale: Sterling K. Brown, Thomas Doherty and Executive Producer Talk Big Sci-Fi Twist, 'Multiverse' Plans for Third and Final Season

‘The Testaments’ Surprise: Elisabeth Moss on Returning as June After ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and What It Means for Agnes and Daisy

“For years…Sangha operated a high-volume drug trafficking business out of her North Hollywood residence,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “To cultivate her business, [Sangha] marketed herself as an exclusive dealer who catered to high-profile Hollywood clientele. While [Sangha] worked to expand and profit from her drug trafficking, she knew – and disregarded – the grave harm her conduct was causing.”

In October 2023, Sangha and her associate sold Perry 51 vials of ketamine, which were given to Perry’s personal assistant. The assistant injected Perry with at least three shots of ketamine, which caused the actor’s death. On Oct. 28, 2023, the “Friends” star was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. On Dec. 15, an autopsy ruled that Perry died from the acute effects on ketamine, with contributing factors that included the effects of buprenorphine, drowning, and coronary artery disease.

Sangha’s associate and Perry’s assistant also pleaded guilty to narcotics charges and are awaiting sentencing. Two other men who sold ketamine to Perry have been sentenced in the case. Salvador Plasencia sold ketamine to Perry, pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution and is serving 2.5 years in prison; Mark Chavez was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.