Jasveen Sangha, a woman dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with the overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry.
The 42-year-old dual American-British national will formally plead guilty in Los Angeles to five felony counts, including distributing ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury, according to the Justice Department. Originally facing nine charges, Sangha’s plea agreement follows a sprawling investigation into Hollywood’s illicit ketamine network.
Authorities say Sangha operated her Los Angeles residence as a “drug-selling emporium,” where investigators discovered more than 80 vials of ketamine, along with methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax. Federal prosecutors allege she supplied Perry and other high-profile clients with the drug, fueling his addiction.
Perry was found dead in October 2023 at his Los Angeles home, with a coroner citing “acute effects of ketamine” as the cause. Sangha is among five defendants linked to his supply chain — including two doctors, Perry’s assistant, and another distributor — all of whom have now agreed to plead guilty.
As part of the deal, Sangha also admitted to distributing ketamine in 2019 to Cody McLaury, who died hours later from an overdose. She faces up to 65 years in federal prison.
Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, told the BBC that Sangha “is taking responsibility for her actions.”
The case has shone a spotlight on Hollywood’s underground ketamine trade, which one doctor described as the “wild west,” where the powerful anesthetic was routinely abused far outside its intended medical use.