British-born drug dealer Jasveen Sangha is in prison after being sentenced to 15 years in a United States federal correctional facility on 8 April 2026 for her role in supplying the ketamine that caused the death of Hollywood actor Matthew Perry. Known as the Ketamine Queen, Sangha pleaded guilty to five federal charges including drug distribution resulting in death.

Who Is Jasveen Sangha?

Jasveen Sangha, 42, was born in Ilford, East London in 1983 to a wealthy Punjabi Sikh family. Her grandparents had built significant wealth through fashion retail businesses in East London. Following her mother’s remarriage, the family relocated to Calabasas, California, where Sangha spent much of her early life and completed her high school education in 2001. She ultimately settled in Los Angeles, where she built a career as a real estate agent and, secretly, as a major drug dealer.

Sangha was referred to by her clients and associates as the “Ketamine Queen.” Operating from her North Hollywood home, she ran a sophisticated distribution network supplying pharmaceutical-grade ketamine to wealthy clients in the Los Angeles area over a period of several years. Ketamine is a medical anaesthetic that is sometimes misused for its dissociative effects; in the United States it requires a prescription, and supplying it illegally constitutes a serious federal offence.

What Did Jasveen Sangha Do?

Sangha operated an illegal ketamine distribution network from her home in North Hollywood, California. Federal prosecutors established that she supplied large quantities of pharmaceutical ketamine to clients without any lawful prescription, earning significant sums in the process. She did not disclose the source of her income and maintained the appearance of a legitimate professional life as a real estate agent.

Investigators believe Sangha was aware of the lethal risks associated with her product. In August 2019, a customer named Cody McLaury died from a ketamine overdose shortly after purchasing the drug from Sangha. Prosecutors alleged that despite knowing her product had caused a death, she continued her trafficking operation regardless. Sangha was eventually investigated as part of a broader inquiry into the death of Matthew Perry and, in September 2025, she entered a guilty plea admitting to five separate federal charges.

The Matthew Perry Connection

Matthew Perry, the actor best known for playing Chandler Bing in the long-running American sitcom Friends, died on 28 October 2023 at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. He was 54 years old. His death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine, and US authorities launched a criminal investigation into the supply chain that provided him with the drug.

Prosecutors established that Sangha, working with another dealer named Salvador Plasencia, supplied Perry with dozens of vials of ketamine in the weeks leading up to his death, including the dose that proved fatal. Perry had been undergoing legitimate ketamine infusion therapy for depression, but the quantities he received from Sangha and Plasencia far exceeded any therapeutic level. Five defendants were ultimately charged in connection with Perry’s death; Sangha received the harshest sentence of all five.

Jasveen Sangha Prison Sentence

On 8 April 2026, Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced Sangha to 15 years in United States federal prison at a hearing in Los Angeles. The sentence was the stiffest handed down to any of the five defendants charged in connection with Perry’s death. Sangha had pleaded guilty on 3 September 2025 to the following charges: one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of distribution resulting in death, and three further counts of ketamine distribution.

As a United States federal prisoner, Sangha is serving her sentence within the American Bureau of Prisons system. The conditions of her release, including any eligibility for early release, are governed by US federal sentencing law. Although Sangha was born in the UK, there is no automatic mechanism for her to be transferred to serve her sentence in a British prison, as the offences occurred on US soil and her guilty plea was entered in a US court.

The British Connection

Although Sangha committed her crimes in the United States and is serving her sentence there, her case has attracted considerable attention in the UK because of her British roots. Born in Ilford and raised partly in East London, she is a British national who grew up in a prominent British-Asian family. Her case illustrates how British nationals can face serious criminal consequences in foreign jurisdictions for drug-related offences, and how extradition and international cooperation can play a role in such prosecutions.

The UK operates its own system for managing prisoners, and families of British nationals serving sentences overseas can face particular difficulties in maintaining contact and providing support. For those with loved ones in UK prisons, there are established routes to stay connected. You can book a prison visit through the official prison visiting system, and there are also services to help you send money to a prisoner to support them during their sentence. For those with a family member approaching the end of their sentence, the Parole Board UK plays a key role in determining release.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Jasveen Sangha in prison?

Jasveen Sangha is in prison because she was convicted of supplying illegal ketamine to a number of clients, including a dose that caused the fatal overdose of Friends actor Matthew Perry in October 2023. She pleaded guilty to five federal drug charges in September 2025 and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on 8 April 2026.

What is Jasveen Sangha’s prison sentence?

Jasveen Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in a United States federal prison by Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett on 8 April 2026. This was the longest sentence handed to any of the five defendants charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death.

Is Jasveen Sangha British?

Yes, Jasveen Sangha was born in Ilford, East London in 1983 and is a British national of Punjabi Sikh heritage. Her family later relocated to California, where she settled as an adult and where her criminal activities took place. Her prison sentence is being served in the United States.

Where is Jasveen Sangha serving her sentence?

Jasveen Sangha is serving her 15-year sentence in a United States federal correctional facility. Because her crimes were committed on US soil and her guilty plea was entered in a US federal court, she does not have the right to transfer to a UK prison to complete her sentence.

How did Jasveen Sangha get the nickname Ketamine Queen?

Jasveen Sangha became known as the Ketamine Queen because she operated one of the most prolific illegal ketamine distribution networks in the Los Angeles area. Associates and clients used this nickname to refer to her given the scale and reliability of her supply operation, which ran for several years before federal investigators dismantled it.