Jasveen Sangha, widely known as the “Ketamine Queen”, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on 8 April 2026 for her central role in the drug supply chain that caused the death of actor Matthew Perry in October 2023. Sangha, 42, a dual US-UK citizen with British roots, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to five federal charges including distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death.

Who Is Jasveen Sangha?

Jasveen Sangha, 42, is a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom, born in England before moving to the United States as a child of approximately three years old. Her family settled in Southern California, and she attended Calabasas High School, graduating in 2001. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from the University of California, Irvine, in 2005.

Despite her academic background, Sangha went on to operate an illegal drug distribution network from her home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles. She became known to associates and customers by the nickname “Ketamine Queen” because of the volume and consistency of the ketamine she supplied over a period of several years. Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic used medically but widely misused as a recreational drug — it is classified as a Class B controlled substance in the United Kingdom.

What Was the Ketamine Queen Drug Network?

Federal prosecutors alleged that Sangha operated a drug distribution network from her North Hollywood residence from at least June 2019. The operation involved the storage, packaging and distribution of multiple controlled substances, including ketamine, methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. A search warrant executed at her home in March 2024 uncovered thousands of pressed methamphetamine pills, 79 vials of liquid ketamine, MDMA tablets, counterfeit Xanax pills and approximately $5,723 in cash, alongside drug packaging materials, a gold money-counting machine and a wireless signal detector.

Sangha was not operating alone. Her network included associate Mark Fleming, who acted as a middleman in several transactions. One of the most serious prior incidents linked to her supply occurred in August 2019, when a man named Cody McLaury died hours after purchasing four vials of ketamine from Sangha — a fatality that preceded the more widely publicised Matthew Perry case by four years.

How Did Sangha Connect to Matthew Perry’s Death?

Matthew Perry, 54, best known for playing Chandler Bing in the American sitcom Friends, was found unresponsive in the heated pool at his Los Angeles home on 28 October 2023. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner attributed his death to an accidental overdose of ketamine.

Prosecutors established that in October 2023, Sangha and Fleming sold Perry a total of 51 vials of ketamine. These were delivered via Kenneth Iwamasa, 61, Perry’s live-in personal assistant, who had been obtaining the drug on the actor’s behalf. On the morning of 28 October 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three doses of Sangha’s ketamine — the final act in a chain of supply that traced directly back to Sangha’s North Hollywood home.

What Happened After Matthew Perry Died?

Within hours of Perry’s death being reported in the news, Sangha took deliberate steps to conceal her involvement. She contacted Fleming via the Signal encrypted messaging application and adjusted the app’s settings to automatically delete their message history. Despite these efforts, federal investigators pieced together the supply chain through other evidence gathered during the investigation.

Multiple individuals were ultimately charged in connection with Perry’s death. Kenneth Iwamasa, who physically administered the injections, pleaded guilty and cooperated with prosecutors. Mark Fleming also faced charges. Of those convicted, Sangha received the most severe sentence, reflecting the scale of her drug operation and her role as the original supplier of the lethal substance.

What Sentence Did Jasveen Sangha Receive?

On 3 September 2025, Sangha entered guilty pleas to five federal charges: one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, and three further counts of ketamine distribution. On 8 April 2026, she was sentenced to 15 years — 180 months — in a federal prison in the United States, followed by three years of supervised release. She had faced a maximum of 65 years in prison across all charges combined.

As a dual UK-US citizen, Sangha will serve her sentence in a US federal correctional institution rather than a British prison. For those seeking to understand how drug supply offences are treated in UK courts, including how the UK Parole Board considers drug-related sentences, our guides provide a useful overview. You may also find relevant background in our article on how to support a loved one in prison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Jasveen Sangha?

Jasveen Sangha is a 42-year-old dual US-UK citizen who was born in England and raised in Southern California. She operated an illegal drug distribution network from her home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and was known among customers as the Ketamine Queen. She was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on 8 April 2026 for her role in the death of actor Matthew Perry.

Why is Jasveen Sangha called the Ketamine Queen?

Jasveen Sangha was referred to as the Ketamine Queen because she ran a large-scale drug supply operation in which ketamine was one of the primary substances she distributed. Associates and customers gave her this nickname due to the volume and reliability of her ketamine supply, which she operated from her North Hollywood home for several years from at least 2019.

What is Jasveen Sangha’s sentence?

Jasveen Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in a United States federal prison on 8 April 2026, followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence was imposed at a federal court in Los Angeles. She faced a maximum of 65 years for the five charges to which she pleaded guilty in September 2025.

What charges did Jasveen Sangha plead guilty to?

On 3 September 2025, Jasveen Sangha pleaded guilty to five federal charges: one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury, and three counts of distribution of ketamine. The most serious charge carried a mandatory minimum sentence due to the death of Matthew Perry being directly linked to the ketamine she supplied.

Is Jasveen Sangha a British citizen?

Yes, Jasveen Sangha holds dual citizenship of the United States and the United Kingdom. She was born in England and moved to the United States as a child of approximately three years old. Despite her UK citizenship, she will serve her federal prison sentence in the United States and is not being held in any British prison facility.