LOS ANGELES, Sept. 3, 2025 — Jasveen Sangha, a 42-year-old dual U.S.-British citizen dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” pleaded guilty in federal court in Los Angeles to charges that she supplied the ketamine that contributed to actor Matthew Perry’s October 28, 2023 death; she faces up to 65 years in prison at a sentencing hearing set for December 10.
Key Takeaways
- Jasveen Sangha pleaded guilty to five felony counts, including distributing ketamine resulting in death and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
- Prosecutors say Sangha supplied 51 vials of ketamine from a North Hollywood “stash house” used to package and distribute narcotics since at least June 2019.
- Sangha was the last of five defendants to plead guilty; co-defendants include Erik Fleming, Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Mark Chavez and Dr. Salvador Plasencia.
- Medical examiners found acute effects of ketamine combined with other factors led to Perry losing consciousness and drowning in his hot tub on Oct. 28, 2023; he was 54.
- As part of the plea deal, several charges were dropped; Sangha admitted a separate 2019 sale tied to another overdose death.
Verified Facts
Sangha entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Sept. 3, 2025. She admitted operating her North Hollywood residence as a stash house to store, package and distribute ketamine and other narcotics and conceded supplying 51 vials to an intermediary, Erik Fleming, 55, who sold doses onward to actor Matthew Perry through Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 60.
Under the plea, Sangha pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of illegal distribution of ketamine and one count of distribution resulting in death. Several additional federal charges were dismissed under the agreement reached with prosecutors.
Medical investigators concluded Perry died on Oct. 28, 2023, at age 54, from the acute effects of ketamine that, together with other factors, caused him to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub. Prosecutors say Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three doses drawn from vials Sangha supplied.
Sangha also acknowledged selling ketamine in August 2019 to another person who died hours later, and she admitted using her home as a distribution point from at least June 2019. She faces sentencing on Dec. 10, 2025, with a statutory maximum exposure of up to 65 years in prison.
Context & Impact
The case highlights risks associated with diversion of prescription anesthetics and the blurred lines between medical use and illicit distribution. Ketamine has legitimate medical roles — short-acting anesthesia and, more recently, off-label treatment for depression — but it also carries serious overdose and behavioral risks when used outside clinical oversight.
All four co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to federal drug charges: Erik Fleming, Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Mark Chavez (55) and Dr. Salvador Plasencia (43). Their pleas close much of the criminal case’s core supply chain but leave questions about broader distribution networks and record-keeping for controlled substances.
Legally, the case may drive closer scrutiny of how controlled substances are obtained and routed through intermediaries, including nonmedical actors and medical professionals. It may also factor into ongoing discussions about policies for prescribing and safeguarding ketamine and similar drugs.
“She feels terrible about all of this,”
Mark Geragos, Sangha’s attorney
Unconfirmed
- Whether additional, unnamed suppliers or distributors beyond the five charged defendants remain under investigation by federal authorities.
- Full details about how the vials Sangha sold were originally sourced or diverted from legitimate channels have not been publicly disclosed.
Bottom Line
The guilty plea by Jasveen Sangha resolves a central supplier charge in the federal case tied to Matthew Perry’s 2023 death and leaves sentencing and potential civil exposure for participants pending. The matter underscores both the criminal consequences of diverting controlled anesthetics and the continuing public-health concerns around nonmedical ketamine use.