GettyMatthew Perry.
Jasveen Sangha, who was labeled the “Ketamine Queen” by federal prosecutors, is accused in connection with the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, a federal indictment released on August 15 says.
In the federal indictment, Sangha, 41, of North Hollywood, was charged along with Dr. Salvador Plasencia. Authorities also detailed the charges in a news conference. DailyMail.com published a photo of Sangha.
“Defendant Jasveen Sangha, also known as . . .the ‘Ketamine Queen,’ was a resident of North Hollywood, California, who used her North Hollywood residence (the ‘Sangha Stash House’) to store, package, and distribute narcotics, including ketamine and methamphetamine,” the indictment says. DailyMail accused Sangha of being “known throughout North Hollywood as a dealer to celebrities.”
Sangha and Plasencia “are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Sangha also is charged with one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine,” a U.S. Department of Justice press release says.
“The superseding indictment alleges that Sangha’s distribution of ketamine on October 24, 2023, caused Perry’s death. Plasencia is charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation.”
Perry died on October 28, 2023, from “the acute effects of ketamine,” in an accidental death, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. He “was found unresponsive in the pool at his residence,” that release says, adding, “The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME) determined the cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry as the acute effects of ketamine. Contributing factors in Mr. Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is accident.”
Jasveen Sangha aka Ketamine Queen who provided the fatal dose to Matthew Perry. https://t.co/G8Hkz2nMpm pic.twitter.com/F8Jk9kMNuj
— JLR© (@JLRINVESTIGATES) August 15, 2024
In the press release, authorities said that three other defendants were charged separately. The release makes the following accusations against those three:
Eric Fleming, 54, of Hawthorne, who pleaded guilty on August 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Fleming admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry. He further admitted to obtaining the ketamine from his source, Sangha, and to distributing 50 vials of ketamine to Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa – half of them four days before Perry’s death.
A neighbor tells me he lives 2 doors down from Jasveen Sangha, “The Katamine Queen”, and would notice people leaving her room with briefcases. Sangha is 1 of 5 people facing federal charges relating to Matthew Perry’s death. #LosAngeles
Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, of Toluca Lake, who conspired with Sangha, Fleming, and Plasencia to illegally obtain ketamine and distribute it to Perry. Iwamasa, who pleaded guilty on August 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training, including performing multiple injections on Perry on October 28, 2023 – the day Perry died.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, a physician who has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Chavez admitted in his plea agreement to selling ketamine to Plasencia, including ketamine that he had diverted from his former ketamine clinic. Chavez also obtained additional ketamine to transfer to Plasencia by making false representations to a wholesale ketamine distributor and by submitting a fraudulent prescription in the name of a former patient without that patient’s knowledge or consent.
“These defendants cared more about profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada, in the news release. “Drug dealers selling dangerous substances are gambling with other people’s lives over greed. This case, along with our many other prosecutions of drug-dealers who cause death, send a clear message that we will hold drug-dealers accountable for the deaths they cause.”
As with all defendants, Sangha and the others are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Here’s what you need to know about Jasveen Sangha:
1. Jasveen Sangha Is Accused of Googling, ‘Can Ketamine Be Listed as a Cause of Death’ After Another Man Died of a Drug Overdose, the Indictment Says
Who is Jasveen Sangha? The Los Angeles drug dealer known as the ‘Ketamine Queen’ charged in connection to Matthew Perry’s death t.co/AhtdDi36KJ
According to the indictment, another man died of an overdose within a day of Sangha selling ketamine to him.
“Defendant SANGHA similarly knew that the unsupervised and improper use of ketamine can be deadly. As alleged in Count Three, on August 26, 2019, defendant SANGHA sold ketamine to a customer, namely, Victim C.M., who died of a drug overdose within a day of the drug deal,” the indictment says. “As a result, a family member of Victim C.M. informed defendant SANGHA of the death in a text message, stating: ‘The ketamine you sold my brother killed him. It’s listed as the cause of death.’ Within days of receiving this text, defendant SANGHA confirmed that ketamine can kill by conducting a Google search for ‘can ketamine be listed as a cause of death’?”
Cody McLaury died in 2019 after being sold ketamine by Jasveen Sangha, who is charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death.
Officials say the defendants tried to ‘cover up what they had done’ in the days after Perry’s death in Oct 2023
📺 Sky 501
“Ketamine was a Schedule III controlled substance that was FDA-approved for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia during surgical procedures. Due to the medical risks associated with ketamine, it was widely accepted in the medical community that a health care professional was required to monitor a patient who had just been given ketamine,” the indictment says. “While monitoring a patient who had been administered ketamine, it was necessary for the health care professional to have access to certain lifesaving equipment, including a defibrillator, a supply of supplemental oxygen, equipment to monitor the patient’s heart rate and breathing, and medication to ensure patient safety.”
DailyMail.com also reported that, before her indictment, “Sangha was boasting about her new haircut and color on social media – where she also shared snaps from her lavish vacations to Mexico and Japan.”
2. Jasveen Sangha Maintained a ‘Stash House’ in North Hollywood, Authorities Say
US DOJA photo in the indictment section about the alleged stash house.
The indictment says that Sangha “would operate and maintain the SANGHA Stash House in North Hollywood, California, which defendant SANGHA would use to store, package, and distribute narcotics.” In the press conference, authorities called this “Stash House” an “emporium” of drugs.
According to the indictment, this stash house was “for the purpose of manufacturing, storing, and distributing controlled substances, including methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, and ketamine, a Schedule III controlled substance.”
The indictment says that Iwamasa communicated with Plasencia “about purchasing ketamine to distribute to” Perry. They “would use encrypted messaging
applications and coded language to discuss drug deals, including referring to bottles of ketamine as ‘Dr. Pepper,’ ‘cans,’ and ‘bots,'” the indictment says.
Fleming and Plasencia would “communicate with their ketamine sources of supply,” including Sanga and Chavez, about “inventory, price and availability of ketamine,” the indictment says.
“On October 28, 2023, using syringes provided by defendant PLASENCIA, Co-Conspirator Iwamasa injected Victim M.P. with multiple doses of the ketamine he received from Co-Conspirator Fleming and defendant SANGHA, resulting in the death and serious bodily injury of Victim M.P.,” the indictment says.
The indictment also outlines text messages between Plasencia and others.
3. Jasveen Sangha Is Accused of Sending a Message That Called Her Ketamine, ‘It’s Amazing,’ the Indictment Says
US DOJA photo showing a message prosecutors say Fleming sent to Iwamasa.
According to the indictment, on October 10, 2023, using the Signal encrypted messaging application, “Co-Conspirator Fleming communicated with defendant SANGHA about obtaining ketamine, stating: ‘Hi Jas. It’s Erik . . . Let me know your addy . . . How many vials do u have availability.”
On October 11, 2023, using the Signal encrypted messaging application, “defendant SANGHA told Co-Conspirator Fleming that her ketamine was high quality and offered a sample of the drug for Victim M.P. to try, stating: ‘It’s unmarked but it’s amazing – he take one and try it and I have more if he likes,” the indictment says.
On October 11, 2023, Fleming “sent a screenshot of defendant SANGHA’s message referenced in Overt Act No. 52 to Co-Conspirator Iwamasa, stating: “[J]ust got this from my person. She only deal[s] with high end and celebs. If it were not great stuff she’d lose her business.”
Sangha was told the vial was intended for Perry, the indictment notes. Fleming is then accused of telling Iwamasa that he “was able to get the kind that is used for intermuscular . . . I guarantee it’s going to be amazing.” Fleming is then accused of buying vials of ketamine from Sangha and giving it to Iwamasa for Perry’s use, the indictment says.
4. Jasveen Sangha Obtained the Drug From a Supplier Known as the ‘Master Chef’ & the ‘Scientist,’ the Indictment Says
GettyMatthew Perry.
Fleming “sent text message updates to Co-Conspirator Iwamasa about the delivery and timing of the ketamine, including stating that defendant SANGHA’s ketamine source — which defendant SANGHA referred to as the ‘master chef’ and ‘scientist’ — would make the supply available, and that the ketamine was ‘on its way to our girl,’ referring to defendant SANGHA,” the indictment says.
Sangha included “ketmaine lollipops” as an “add-on” to the order, it says.
It also accuses Sangha of telling Fleming, ““Please let me know if u think There will be another round because the scientist he’ll be gone as well . . . I’ll have to know ahead of time to get that sorted out before we leave.”
5. Jasveen Sangha Is Accused of Discussing Co-Conspirators ‘Deleting Digital Evidence’ After Matthew Perry’s Death, the Indictment Says
GettyMatthew Perry.
On October 28, 2023, “after she learned about Victim M.P.’s death from news reports, defendant SANGHA called Co- Conspirator Fleming using the Signal application to discuss the co- conspirators distancing themselves from selling ketamine to Victim M.P. by, among other things, deleting digital evidence on their cell phones,” the indictment says.
She is accused of instructing Fleming to “delete all our messages.”
Fleming is accused of writing Sangha, “Please call . . . Got more info and want to bounce ideas off you. I’m 90% sure everyone is protected. I never dealt with [Victim M.P.]. Only his Assistant. So the Assistant was the enabler. Also they are doing a 3 month tox screening … Does K stay in your system or is it immediately flushed out[?]”
“Bringing these individuals to justice for their role in the untimely death of Mr. Perry required coordination and hard work by a number of people, and I want to thank LAPD detectives and our federal partners for their patience and dedication,” said LAPD Chief Dominic Choi in the news release. “As the boots on the ground in our communities, on a daily basis LAPD officers witness first-hand the harm that these narcotics can cause, so I’m pleased that our collective efforts have led to the arrest of these individuals.”
Jessica McBride is a news, sports, and entertainment reporter covering breaking news, politics sports, entertainment, and crime for Heavy. She is a former reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Waukesha Freeman newspapers in Wisconsin and is a senior journalism instructor at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. More about Jessica McBride
