'Ketamine Queen' Gets 15 Years for Selling Drugs That Killed Matthew Perry

Jasveen Sangha, the North Hollywood drug dealer known to prosecutors as the "Ketamine Queen," was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on Wednesday, April 8, for her role in the 2023 overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry.

U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Garnett handed down the sentence at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles. It matches exactly what prosecutors had requested and is harsher than the penalty received by any of Sangha's four co-defendants in the case.

Sangha, 42, has been incarcerated since August 2024. She will also serve three years of supervised release following her prison term.

In remarks to the courtroom, Sangha acknowledged her role. "I pray for forgiveness every day," she said. "Thank you for giving me the harshest reality check of my life."

How Perry Died

Perry, best known for playing the wisecracking Chandler Bing on the long-running NBC sitcom "Friends", was found dead in the jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023. He was 54. An autopsy confirmed his death was an accident caused by the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning and coronary artery disease listed as contributing factors.

Perry had been using ketamine legally as an off-label treatment for depression, but had been seeking more than his doctor would prescribe. That desire led him through a chain of enablers that ultimately ended at Sangha's North Hollywood supply.

Four days before his death, Sangha sold 25 vials of ketamine — including the fatal dose — for $6,000 in cash to middleman Erik Fleming, who passed them to Perry's live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. In total, Sangha and Fleming supplied 51 vials of ketamine the month Perry died. Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the drug in the days leading up to his death, including at least three times on the day he died.

The Operation Behind the Case

Prosecutors described Sangha's North Hollywood apartment as a "high-volume drug trafficking business" that had been running since at least 2019. When federal agents raided the property in March 2024, they found 79 vials of liquid ketamine, approximately two kilograms of counterfeit Xanax, methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy, a money-counting machine, a scale, surveillance-detection devices and a firearm registered to her boyfriend.

Sangha was not a stranger to the consequences of what she sold. In August 2019, she sold four vials of ketamine to a 33-year-old Los Angeles man named Cody McLaury, who died of an overdose hours later. His sister sent Sangha a text message telling her the drugs she had sold her brother had killed him. Sangha kept selling.

Prosecutors argued this history made her culpability in Perry's death all the more serious. "She didn't care and kept selling," they wrote in a 24-page sentencing memorandum. "Defendant's actions show a cold callousness and disregard for life. She chose profits over people."

Cover-Up Attempt

When Sangha learned from news reports that Perry had died, she immediately contacted Fleming on the encrypted messaging app Signal. Her message was four words: "Delete all our messages."

Prosecutors also pointed to a recorded jail call from December 25, 2024, in which an individual stated "We're gonna sell those book rights," and Sangha allegedly responded that she was already working on obtaining a trademark. Prosecutors argued the exchange showed she had not reckoned with the gravity of what she had done and instead saw the case as a potential revenue stream.

Perry's Family Speaks

Perry's mother, Suzanne Perry, and stepfather, Keith Morrison — a correspondent for the television newsmagazine "Dateline" — attended the sentencing hearing. Morrison told the court that he and Perry's mother feel a "daily, grinding sadness and sorrow."

The day before sentencing, prosecutors filed a victim impact statement from Perry's stepmother, Debbie Perry, who addressed Sangha directly. "The pain you've caused to hundreds, maybe thousands is irreversible," she wrote. "You caused this. You who has a talent for business, enough to make money, chose the one way that hurts people."

Debbie Perry ended her statement by asking the court to hand down the maximum sentence so that Sangha "won't be able to hurt other families like ours."

What Happened to the Others

Sangha pleaded guilty in September 2025 to five federal charges: 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. She had originally pleaded not guilty, with her then-attorney publicly insisting she had no connection to Perry whatsoever.

All five defendants in the case have now pleaded guilty. Dr. Mark Chavez was sentenced to eight months of home detention. Dr. Salvador Plasencia received two and a half years in prison. Kenneth Iwamasa and Erik Fleming are both awaiting sentencing, scheduled for April 22 and April 29 respectively.

Sangha is the only defendant whose plea agreement specifically acknowledged that her drugs caused Perry's death, making her the most culpable in the eyes of the law. As part of her agreement, she is required to pay full restitution to the families of both Perry and Cody McLaury.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.