“I am very selective about my clients … those red carpet types.”
For several years, Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” operated what prosecutors described in a sentencing document as a “large-scale drug trafficking enterprise out of her North Hollywood residence.” Prosecutors assert she promoted herself as a dealer who catered exclusively to an elite clientele.
This lifestyle offered considerable advantages. Prosecutors claim Sangha, despite her privileged background, opted to deal drugs “not due to financial hardship, but for the allure of wealth, prestige, and connections.”
Everything changed on October 28, 2023, when “Friends” actor Matthew Perry was discovered deceased, floating in his hot tub at his Pacific Palisades residence.
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office attributed his death to the “acute effects of ketamine” followed by drowning.
Sangha and four others were indicted in August 2024 in connection with Perry’s passing.
A year later, Sangha consented to plead guilty to five federal criminal charges, which included supplying the ketamine that caused Perry’s death. Her plea mirrors those of the other four defendants, who also reached plea agreements with federal prosecutors.
Soon after Sangha’s indictment, then-US Attorney for the Central District of California, E. Martin Estrada, warned reporters that “Defendants are now fully aware that the substances they sell can result in another person’s death. Therefore, if you are involved in the drug trade and, despite these dangers, persist in your illegal business, driven by greed to jeopardize others’ lives, be warned: we will hold you accountable.”
Perry’s situation bears resemblances to the drug-related death of Mac Miller in September 2018. The rapper succumbed to an accidental overdose involving fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol.
Major league pitcher Tyler Skaggs died in 2019 with significant levels of opioids in his system. Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was discovered dead in 2014, a syringe in his arm and a lethal mix of heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines, and amphetamine in his body.
In each of these prominent deaths, individuals suspected of providing illegal substances were taken into custody. However, not all faced conviction.
Legal professionals indicate that focusing on high-profile cases and their subsequent prosecutions can significantly contribute to discouraging illicit drug activities.
“The prominence given to high-profile cases primarily stems from the awareness they generate regarding the issue, helping to illuminate the broader consequences of the drug crisis,” Andrew Pickett, a lead trial attorney based in Melbourne, Florida, informed CNN in August 2024.
“They serve as a cautionary tale for both practitioners operating on the edge of legality and those who enable substance abuse,” Pickett added.
The increasing number of drug-related fatalities has compelled law enforcement and prosecutors nationwide to modify their strategies, allocating more personnel to aggressively pursue traffickers and dealers.
Even a customer’s death doesn’t always deter a drug dealer from continuing their illegal business. CNN’s Josh Campbell interviewed an undercover officer about this topic in 2022. When asked why dealers would aggressively sell a product with a high potential to kill their clients, the LAPD detective explained that this is not a primary concern for cartels and those distributing fentanyl to teenagers.
“It all comes down to money, it all comes down to profit,” he stated. “The dealer’s main goal is to get you addicted, and if you don’t die from it, then you remain a customer for life.”
This seems to have been the situation with Perry.
Estrada, the federal prosecutor, made reference to Perry’s struggles with addiction, which had been extensively documented for years. The actor released a memoir less than a year before his death, detailing his decades-long battles.
“The investigation showed that in the fall of 2023, Mr. Perry relapsed into addiction, and these defendants exploited that vulnerability to enrich themselves,” Estrada declared in 2024.
During their investigation into Perry’s death, the US Attorney’s Office uncovered a clandestine network of medical professionals and drug suppliers whom they allege were distributing the ketamine.
The 2019 overdose death of aspiring personal trainer Cody McLaury was found to have a disturbing link to Perry. Although the two men were unacquainted, prosecutors indicate that Sangha served as a mutual connection.
When her brother passed away, Kimberly McLaury sent a text message to the individual she believes sold him the lethal drug: Jasveen Sangha.
After retrieving her brother’s phone from the police, McLaury discovered a text conversation with the alleged dealer, showing that her brother had paid for the ketamine via Venmo.
“Once his death certificate was released, I texted back and informed her, ‘just so you know, the ketamine you sold my brother was listed as his cause of death,’” she recounted to CNN.
McLaury never received a response. “I simply assumed she didn’t care,” she remarked.
Sangha was not charged in connection with McLaury’s death, but prosecutors requested that the judge consider her involvement in his demise during her sentencing.
“Sadly, much like Mr. McLaury’s death, Mr. Perry’s death did not prompt the defendant to alter her illegal conduct,” prosecutors stated.
Approximately two and a half years after Perry’s untimely death, Sangha will appear before a judge on Wednesday to learn her fate.
Her legal counsel, Mark Geragos and Alexandra Kazarian, assert in the sentencing memorandum that their client has acknowledged responsibility for her “serious” criminal actions.
“She has been incarcerated since August 15, 2024, and has utilized that time judiciously and constructively, engaging in programs and assisting others in their recovery,” her attorneys wrote.
They portray Sangha as “a compassionate, selfless, and dependable individual who supports others in meaningful ways” and are petitioning the judge for a sentence of time already served, followed by suitable terms of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors, conversely, contend that the penalty should be more stringent. They are advocating for Sangha to be imprisoned for the next 15 years.
“She prioritized financial gain over human lives, and her actions have inflicted profound grief upon the victims’ families and loved ones,” they asserted in their sentencing memorandum.
“(Sangha) had the chance to cease her activities after understanding the consequences of her dealing – but she simply chose not to.”