“Ketamine Queen” sentenced to 15 years in Matthew Perry overdose case

A drug trafficker nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen” has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with the overdose that killed Matthew Perry, including her role in supplying the dose containing the powerful anesthetic that led to the actor’s death, Reuters reports.

Jasveen Sangha, who admitted to operating a “warehouse” of illegal narcotics in her home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to five drug-related charges stemming from Matthew Perry’s 2023 death, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

Sangha, 42, a dual U.S.-UK citizen, faced up to 65 years in prison. Federal Judge Sherilyn Garnett sentenced her to 15 years — a harsher sentence than those given to any of the other four defendants in the case, which included two doctors.

Federal prosecutors had recommended a 15-year sentence, while the defense requested that her sentence be limited to time already served. Sangha has been in custody since August 2024.

Matthew Perry was found by his personal assistant, who lived in the same residence, face down and unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023. He was 54.

The autopsy concluded that he died from the “acute effects of ketamine,” which, combined with other factors, caused unconsciousness and drowning.

Ketamine is a short-acting but powerful anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, sometimes prescribed for depression and other psychological conditions. It has also become increasingly popular as an illicit party drug.

Matthew Perry had publicly acknowledged struggling with substance abuse for decades, including during the peak of his fame portraying Chandler Bing in the hit TV show Friends.

His death came a year after the publication of his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, which detailed his battles with addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs.

In the months before his death, Perry had said he was sober. However, according to federal officials, he was undergoing medically supervised ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety at a clinic, where he became dependent on the drug.

When doctors refused to increase his dosage, Perry turned to unscrupulous suppliers willing to exploit his addiction for financial gain, authorities said.

Within weeks, the actor died from a ketamine overdose supplied by Jasveen Sangha. She admitted to selling 51 vials of ketamine to intermediary Erik Fleming, who then sold the doses to Perry through his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa.

Prosecutors said Iwamasa administered at least three doses from those vials, which ultimately led to Perry’s death.

As part of her plea agreement, Sangha admitted to running a drug-involved premises, three counts of illegal ketamine distribution, and one count of distribution resulting in death.

She also acknowledged knowing the ketamine she sold was intended for Matthew Perry and admitted that in August 2019 she sold ketamine to another individual who died hours later from an overdose.

Fleming, Iwamasa, and the two doctors involved — Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia — all pleaded guilty to federal drug-related charges.