'Ketamine Queen' pleads guilty in 'Friends' star Matthew Perry’s overdose case

A makeshift memorial for actor Matthew Perry, New York City, U.S., October 30, 2023.
Reuters

The accused Los Angeles drug dealer known as the 'ketamine queen' has agreed to plead guilty to charges that she supplied the dose of the prescription aesthetic that killed 'Friends' star Matthew Perry, prosecutors said on Monday.

Jasveen Sangha, 42, a dual U.S.-British citizen, will face charges including maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distributing ketamine, and one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. She previously sold four vials of the drug to Cody McLaury, who died of an overdose in 2019.

Sangha’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, said in a brief statement, “She’s taking responsibility for her actions.” The sentencing date will be scheduled after she officially enters her guilty plea at a forthcoming court hearing.

She becomes the fifth defendant in the investigation to reach a plea deal.

Four other co-defendants in the case - two physicians, Perry's personal assistant and another man who admitted acting as an intermediary in selling ketamine to the actor - have already pleaded guilty to various charges, though none has yet been sentenced. 

Her plea agreement follows similar deals by Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Dr. Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa, and Erik Fleming, all of whom cooperated with federal prosecutors.

Three other charges related to ketamine distribution and one count of methamphetamine distribution, unrelated to Perry, will be dropped as part of the deal.

All five were charged in the case one year ago.

Matthew Perry, 54, was found dead at his home after regularly using ketamine prescribed by his doctor for depression. Court documents indicate he took the drug six to eight times daily, highlighting the risks associated with its increasingly common use for mental health treatment. 

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