An alleged San Fernando Valley drug dealer who prosecutors called “The Ketamine Queen” of North Hollywood was one of the two people arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of Friends star Matthew Perry.
Jasveen Sangha, 41, is among the five people who were charged in connection with Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced on Thursday. Others charged include two doctors and Perry’s personal assistant. Prosecutors said that Sangha and one of the doctors, 42-year-old Salvador Plasencia, were arrested on Thursday and accused of distributing ketamine to Perry during the final weeks of his life.
Perry, 54, was found face down in his hot tub on Oct. 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office later determined that Perry died as a result of “the acute effects of ketamine.”
Authorities said they have also tied Sangha to a previous fatal overdose. Here’s what to know about Sangha.
What charges is she facing?
An indictment unsealed on Thursday alleges that Sangha’s distribution of ketamine on Oct. 24, 2023, caused Perry’s death. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Great Britain, Sangha is facing nine counts related to Perry’s death, including: conspiracy to distribute ketamine, maintaining a drug-involved premises, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine. She was arraigned in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday and pleaded not guilty. If convicted of all charges, she could face a maximum sentence of life in prison, prosecutors said.
The judge denied her request for bail on Thursday, and she will remain in custody. Her next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15.
Why have her authorities dubbed her the “Ketamine Queen?”
Prosecutors accuse Sangha of distributing ketamine, as well as other illegal drugs, from her North Hollywood “stash house” since at least 2019. U.S. Attorney for California’s Central District Martin Estrada said during a news conference on Thursday that her home was a “drug-selling emporium.” He added that a search of her home turned up more than 80 vials of ketamine, as well as drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax.
Prosecutors accused Sangha of being “aware of the danger of ketamine.” In August 2019, she allegedly sold ketamine to a man named Cody McLaury just hours before he died of an overdose, according to prosecutors. After a relative of McLaury’s texted Sangha that her ketamine had killed McLaury, Sangha searched on Google: “Can ketamine be listed as a cause of death[?]”
One of the defendants who pleaded guilty on Aug. 8 to charges in connection with Perry’s death, Erik Fleming, is quoted in the indictment as saying about Sangha: she “only deal[s] with high end and celebs.” Sangha previously shared photos of her extravagant lifestyle on social media, from parties to vacations in Japan and Mexico, BBC reported.
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