Matthew Perry death: Who is Jasveen Sangha, the ‘Ketamine queen’ who sold him the fatal dose?

The woman prosecutors branded the “Ketamine Queen” — accused of selling Matthew Perry the drug that killed him — has agreed to plead guilty, closing a major chapter in the case.

On Monday, Jasveen Sangha became the fifth and final defendant charged in the Friends star’s fatal overdose to strike a plea deal with federal prosecutors, avoiding a September trial.

The 42-year-old, born in Britain and raised in the US holds dual citizenship and once flaunted a globe-trotting lifestyle on Instagram. Before her indictment last year, her feed featured snapshots in luxury settings from Spain to Japan to Dubai, alongside the wealthy and famous, with London and Los Angeles as her home bases, as noted by the Associated Press.

Prosecutors say that glamour was bankrolled by a drug operation she had been running out of her San Fernando Valley apartment for at least five years. They accused her of styling herself as “a celebrity drug dealer with high quality goods” — even embracing the nickname “Ketamine Queen,” a label her lawyers dismiss as nothing more than a media hook.

Sangha’s background paints a sharp contrast to the charges. She graduated from high school in Calabasas, California — the Kardashians’ hometown — earned a degree from the University of California, Irvine in 2005, and later an MBA from Hult International Business School in London. She even worked at Merrill Lynch before entering the drug world.

Her path crossed with Perry’s through co-defendant Erik Fleming, a mutual acquaintance.

When federal agents raided her San Fernando Valley apartment in March 2024, they reported finding large stashes of cocaine, methamphetamine, and ketamine. Sangha was arrested and briefly released on bond before being taken into custody again.

In a signed statement filed in court, Sangha admitted guilt to five federal charges, including supplying the ketamine that led to Perry’s death. Her attorney, Mark Geragos, offered only a short comment: “She’s taking responsibility for her actions.”

For prosecutors, Sangha, 42, stood at the center of their case. A dual U.S. and UK citizen, she was portrayed as a prolific dealer who flaunted a glamourous lifestyle on Instagram while discreetly catering to elite clients. Court filings repeatedly referred to her by the nickname “Ketamine Queen.”

Under the deal, she will plead guilty to one count of maintaining a drug premises, three counts of ketamine distribution, and one count of distribution resulting in death or serious injury. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop other charges, including methamphetamine distribution unrelated to Perry.

Sangha faces up to 45 years in prison. While the judge isn’t bound by the plea terms, prosecutors signaled they will seek a sentence below the maximum. Her formal guilty plea and sentencing date will be set at an upcoming hearing.

This plea comes almost a year after prosecutors charged five people in connection with Perry’s October 28, 2023 death. Alongside Sangha, Dr. Salvador Plasencia was a main target. Both were implicated through the cooperation of three others — Dr. Mark Chavez, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, and friend Erik Fleming — all of whom have already pleaded guilty.

Investigators say Perry, 54, had been using ketamine legally through his doctor as an off-label treatment for depression, but when his requests outpaced what could be prescribed, he turned to the black market. He began buying from Plasencia about a month before his death and from Sangha about two weeks later, as quoted by the Associated Press.

According to court documents, Fleming first connected Perry and Iwamasa with Sangha, praising her drugs as “amazing” and noting she only dealt “with high end and celebs.” Four days before his death, Perry purchased 25 vials for $6,000 cash — including the doses that killed him, according to AP.

On the day he died, Sangha allegedly urged Fleming to delete their text messages. Perry was later found unresponsive at his Los Angeles home by Iwamasa. The coroner ruled ketamine toxicity as the primary cause.

Sangha’s criminal history stretched beyond Perry. She admitted to selling four vials of ketamine to another man, Cody McLaury, just hours before his fatal overdose in 2019. She has been in federal custody for about a year after DEA agents raided her North Hollywood home in March 2024, seizing cash and large quantities of drugs.

None of the five defendants have been sentenced yet. As part of her plea deal, Sangha agreed not to fight the forfeiture of property seized during the investigation, including over $5,000 in cash.

Perry, who rose to fame as Chandler Bing on Friends, had long been open about his battle with addiction. His death marked the tragic end of a struggle that shadowed one of television’s most beloved stars.