Ketamine Queen’ Jasveen Sangha has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for supplying the drug that killed Matthew Perry in October 2023, behind bars for over a decade. The judge handed down the ruling on 8 April 2026 at a federal court in Downtown Los Angeles. It is the harshest punishment yet among the five people who pleaded guilty in connection with the actor’s death.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, holds dual British-American nationality and lived in North Hollywood, Los Angeles. The Ketamine Queen’s sentence faced prosecutors who described her operation as calculated, profit-driven and deliberate in its exploitation of a man already battling severe addiction. She pleaded guilty to five federal charges last September, including one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
A Fatal Transaction Four Days Before His Death
Perry rose to global fame playing sharp-tongued Chandler Bing on the long-running NBC sitcom Friends. He had been using ketamine legally as an off-label treatment for depression. But in the weeks before he died, his reliance on the drug began to spiral badly. Prosecutors said it was “out of control” in his final months.
Sangha sold Perry 25 vials of ketamine, including the fatal dose, for £4,482 (approximately $6,000) in cash. The transaction took place just four days before Perry was found face down and unresponsive in his hot tub on 28 October 2023. He was 54 years old.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner confirmed that the acute effects of ketamine caused his death. Drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of an opioid, buprenorphine, also contributed.
Ketamine Queen’s Sentence After Running a Drug Emporium
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic with hallucinogenic effects. Only licensed medical professionals may legally administer it. Despite this, Sangha ran her drug supply network from at least 2019. Federal authorities described her North Hollywood home as a “drug-selling emporium.”
Officers raided her property in March 2024. They uncovered 79 vials of ketamine, cocaine, three pounds of methamphetamine tablets and quantities of Xanax. Her clients were reportedly wealthy and well-connected. She marketed herself on social media as a glamorous art curator and international socialite, appearing alongside celebrities at events in London and Los Angeles.
After she found out Perry had died from the drugs she sold him, she tried to cover her tracks. She told an associate to “delete all our messages,” court documents show. Prosecutors argued the Ketamine Queen’s sentence showed cold indifference and simply kept selling.
She also admitted selling drugs to Cody McLaury, who died hours after the purchase in August 2019. That charge formed part of her plea agreement.
Families Speak Out at the Sentencing
The hearing was deeply emotional. Perry’s stepfather, Canadian journalist and television presenter Keith Morrison, addressed Sangha directly: “I feel bad for you. I don’t hate you. You are a drug dealer, and there are a lot of drug dealers out there. The fact is you supplied an addict.”
Outside the courthouse, Morrison said the judge delivered “a highly reasoned sentence.” He added: “We miss Matthew dreadfully, of course, and I feel badly for the perpetrator here as well. Nobody won today.”
Perry’s stepmother, Debbie Perry, submitted a victim impact statement before the hearing. She urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence. She said Sangha had caused “irreversible” damage, writing: “You caused this. You who has talent for business enough to make money chose the one way that hurts people.”
Sangha sobbed as family members spoke. She told the court her actions were not mistakes but “horrible decisions” that had “shattered people’s lives and the lives of their family and friends.” She said she wears her shame “like a jacket.”
Jasveen Sangha’s Sentence as Part of Wider Sentencing in the Case
Sangha is the third of five people to receive a sentence in this case. The others include doctors and Perry’s personal assistant.
In December 2025, Dr Salvador Plasencia received 30 months in prison. He had illegally supplied Perry with ketamine in the weeks before his death. He also surrendered his medical licence.
Dr Mark Chavez admitted obtaining ketamine from his clinic through a fraudulent prescription. He sold it to Plasencia, who then supplied it to Perry. Chavez received three years of supervised release, including eight months of home detention, and surrendered his medical licence.
Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in assistant, helped purchase and administer ketamine to the actor. His sentencing has been postponed. Erik Fleming, the intermediary who sold Sangha’s supply to Perry, faces sentencing in June 2026.
Sangha faced a maximum of 65 years in federal prison. She has been in federal custody since August 2024. Her lawyer Mark Geragos called the outcome “bitterly disappointing,” saying it was unfair for his client to serve longer than the doctors involved.
A Star Whose Struggles Were No Secret
Perry spoke publicly for years about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction. In November 2022, he published a memoir titled Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. He wrote it during a period of sobriety and recovery. His willingness to discuss addiction openly resonated with fans worldwide. It also brought long overdue attention to how relentless and unpredictable dependency can be, even with professional support in place.
His death at 54 showed that addiction can reach anyone. Those who profit by feeding someone else’s dependency carry a heavy share of responsibility for the outcome.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 107,500 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2023 alone. Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that illicit supply chains, operating outside any medical oversight, account for a disproportionate share of those deaths.
What the Ketamine Queen’s Sentence Case Tells Us About Exploitation and Addiction
The Jasveen Sangha’s sentence case opened up a wider conversation about the exploitation of people in the grip of addiction. Perry started using ketamine legally through proper medical channels. But the ready availability of illegal supply allowed his use to escalate beyond any safe limit, very quickly.
Addiction rarely unfolds in isolation. It often involves people who stand to gain financially from keeping someone dependent. This case put that reality on public record.
Anyone seeking help with substance use or dependency can speak to their GP, contact a local drug support service, or reach out to Turning Point (UK) or FRANK for free and confidential guidance.
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