“Ketamine Queen” continued to run drug den after Matthew Perry’s death

The so-called “Ketamine Queen,” one of five people charged in connection with the death of Matthew Perry in October 2023, is said to have continued running a drug den for months after the actor's fatal overdose.

According to new court documents obtained by Us Weekly, prosecutors said 41-year-old Jasveen Sangha – who is also linked to at least one other ketamine-related death – continued her “half-decade-long drug business” in the months following the 54-year-old “Friends” star's death.

The accused drug trafficker allegedly sold Perry the fatal shipment of ketamine – a dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties – on October 24. After Perry died from “the acute effects of ketamine” on October 28, Sangha allegedly attempted to destroy evidence by instructing director and producer Erik Fleming, who was accused of acting as a middleman in the drug deals, to “delete all” of their communications.

Sangha faces a total of nine charges in connection with Perry's death, including one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said last week. She pleaded not guilty and was held without bail because she was deemed a flight risk.

If convicted on all charges against her, including running a drug den, Sangha faces a life sentence.

NBC News previously reported that Sangha was arrested in March of this year in another federal drug case. The accused “major drug trafficker” was released from custody after posting $100,000 bail.

Two doctors and Perry's live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa were also charged in his death.

At the time of Perry's death, the five-time Emmy nominee, who spoke openly about his lifelong battle with addiction, was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety, although he was otherwise considered sober.

Dr. Salvador “Dr. P” Plasencia, 42, who knew that 59-year-old Iwamasa had no medical training, allegedly gave him instructions on how to inject Perry with the drug. Plasencia pleaded not guilty last Thursday to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.

Dr. Mark Chavez, who is accused of selling the drug Plasencia from his former ketamine clinic, agreed to plead guilty to one count of the same indictment.

Iwamasa, who allegedly administered repeated injections to Perry in the weeks before his death – including three times within a few hours on October 28 – has already pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.

Fleming pleaded guilty to the same charge as well as conspiracy to distribute ketamine.

Originally published: August 20, 2024 at 12:46