A woman from North Hollywood has agreed to plead guilty to five federal criminal charges related to drug distribution, including providing the ketamine that led to the overdose death of actor Matthew Perry in October 2023, according to an announcement from the Justice Department.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, also known as “Ketamine Queen,” will plead guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. Sangha holds dual citizenship in the United States and the United Kingdom and has been held in federal custody since August 2024. She is expected to formally enter her plea soon.
Upon entering her plea, Sangha could face up to 20 years in federal prison for maintaining a drug-involved premises, up to 10 years for each ketamine distribution count, and up to 15 years for distributing ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury at her sentencing hearing scheduled for later this year.
According to court documents, Sangha worked with Erik Fleming of Hawthorne to distribute ketamine to Perry. In October 2023, they sold Perry 51 vials of ketamine which were delivered by Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s personal assistant. The investigation found that Iwamasa injected Perry with Sangha’s ketamine multiple times on October 28, leading directly to his death.
After learning about Perry’s death through news reports, Sangha contacted Fleming via Signal app about distancing themselves from the incident and instructed him: “Delete all our messages.” Two days after Perry’s death, Fleming left a voicemail on Signal stating: “Please call . . . Got more info and want to bounce ideas off you. I’m 90% sure everyone is protected. I never dealt with [Perry]. 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[?].”
Sangha also admitted selling four vials of ketamine in August 2019 that resulted in another fatal overdose involving Cody McLaury.
Authorities discovered evidence at Sangha’s residence during a March 2023 search which included pressed pills containing methamphetamine weighing over one kilogram, dozens of vials of liquid ketamine, MDMA tablets (Ecstasy), counterfeit Xanax pills, baggies containing powdered drugs such as cocaine and ketamine as well as tools used for drug trafficking like packaging materials and cash.
She further admitted using her home since June 2019 for storing and distributing narcotics including methamphetamine and ketamine.
Other defendants have also pleaded guilty:
Mark Chavez of San Diego pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy charges related to distributing ketamine; he faces sentencing on September 17.
Fleming pleaded guilty last August on two counts including distribution resulting in death; his sentencing is set for November.
Iwamasa pleaded guilty last August as well; his sentencing will be held November 19.
Salvador Plasencia (“Dr. P”) from Santa Monica pleaded guilty on July 23; he faces sentencing December 3.
The Los Angeles Police Department worked alongside federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Postal Inspection Service during this investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ian V. Yanniello (Terrorism and Export Crimes Section) and Haoxiaohan H. Cai (Major Frauds Section) are prosecuting the case.
