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On April 8, 2026, a federal judge in Los Angeles brought the gavel down on Jasveen Sangha, the woman the Department of Justice branded the Ketamine Queen. Her sentence of 15 years in federal prison marks the definitive end of the investigation into the death of Matthew Perry. While the Friends star was the face of the tragedy, Sangha was the cold-blooded infrastructure behind it, operating a North Hollywood "stash house" that functioned with the efficiency of a boutique concierge service for the addicted elite.
The 15-year term, handed down by U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, matches exactly what federal prosecutors demanded. It is a sentence that signals a shift in how the legal system handles the architects of celebrity overdoses. For years, the suppliers of the famous and wealthy operated in a gray zone, protected by non-disclosure agreements and the deep pockets of their clientele. Sangha, however, hit a wall of federal scrutiny that refused to treat her as a mere byproduct of Perry’s personal demons. Meanwhile, you can read other events here: Ireland is Clearing Fuel Protests with Armored Hubris.
The Architecture of a Stash House
Jasveen Sangha did not just sell drugs. She curated an environment of illicit exclusivity. Her North Hollywood apartment was not a crumbling den but a distribution hub where high-grade ketamine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit Xanax were stockpiled and processed. Prosecutors revealed that Sangha had been running this operation since at least 2019, catering to a "high-end and celeb" clientele who believed her product was safer or more refined than street-level alternatives.
The mechanics were simple but devastating. When Perry’s legal avenues for ketamine treatment—originally intended for depression—were exhausted by doctors who eventually refused to increase his dosage, his inner circle sought out the black market. They didn't find a street dealer. They found Sangha through a network of enablers, including Perry’s own personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and a middleman named Erik Fleming. To explore the bigger picture, check out the excellent report by Al Jazeera.
In the four days leading up to Perry's death in October 2023, Sangha sold 25 vials of ketamine for $6,000. She even threw in ketamine-laced lollipops as a bonus for a loyal customer. This was not a desperate transaction. It was business.
Profits over Precedent
The most damning evidence presented during the sentencing was not the volume of drugs, but the history of death trailing Sangha’s business. In August 2019, she sold ketamine to a man named Cody McLaury. He died hours later. When McLaury’s sister messaged Sangha to tell her the drug had killed her brother, Sangha didn’t stop. She didn't pivot. She performed a Google search for "can ketamine cause death?" and then continued her operations.
This detail effectively dismantled the defense’s argument for leniency. Her attorney, Mark Geragos, attempted to frame the case around Perry’s own agency, arguing that "nobody was going to stop Mr. Perry from doing what he was going to do." But Judge Garnett was unmoved. The court noted that Sangha knew her product was lethal and chose to keep selling it anyway.
The federal "distribution resulting in death" statute is a heavy hammer. To secure the conviction, the government had to prove the drug Sangha supplied was the direct cause of death. They did. The medical examiner confirmed the acute effects of ketamine were the primary cause of Perry’s passing, with drowning as a secondary factor.
The Celebrity Enabler Pipeline
Sangha was the final of five defendants to be sentenced in a sprawling case that exposed the rot within the Hollywood medical and social ecosystem. The hierarchy of culpability in this case is a blueprint for how high-profile addicts are serviced:
- The Doctors: Dr. Salvador Plasencia (sentenced to 2.5 years) and Dr. Mark Chavez (8 months home detention) provided the initial bridge from medical care to criminal supply.
- The Middlemen: Erik Fleming and Kenneth Iwamasa acted as the couriers and administrators, shielding the star from the source while ensuring the supply never ran dry.
- The Source: Jasveen Sangha, who sat at the top of the pyramid, providing the bulk quantity that the "legitimate" channels would not.
Judge Garnett pointed out that Sangha’s conduct was significantly more serious than the others. While the doctors violated their oaths for profit, Sangha operated a dedicated criminal enterprise for years. She was a professional trafficker who happened to find a famous mark.
A Legacy of Resentment and Resilience
During the hearing, Sangha addressed the court, describing her actions as "horrible decisions" and claiming she had found a new path while in custody since August 2024. The judge’s response was biting. "You're going to have to show some epic resilience," Garnett told her, essentially telling the 42-year-old that the time for self-improvement would now be spent behind bars.
The "Ketamine Queen" moniker, which her defense team claimed was a media fabrication, was actually found in the encrypted messages of her own associates. It was a title she seemingly embraced until it became a liability in a federal courtroom.
The case of Jasveen Sangha is a reminder that the "glamor" of the Hollywood drug scene is a thin veneer over a very standard, very lethal criminal trade. Sangha didn't just sell a drug; she sold the illusion of safety to a man who was fighting for his life. In the end, the price of that illusion was 15 years in a federal cell.
Accountability in these circles is rare, but the Perry case suggests that the days of the untouchable "celebrity dealer" are closing. Federal agents are no longer just looking for the person who held the needle; they are looking for the person who owned the house where the needle was bought.
The message is clear: the party is over, and the house always loses.
