Matthew Perry case: 'Ketamine Queen' looking at 65yrs in prison
What's the story
Jasveen Sangha, a dual British-American national and drug dealer to Hollywood's elite, is one of five people to have pleaded guilty to the death of actor Matthew Perry. The 42-year-old ran a "stash house" of drugs including cocaine, Xanax, fake Adderall pills, and ketamine. Her business came crashing down after supplying 50 vials of ketamine that were ultimately sold to Perry. Now she faces up to 65 years in federal prison.
Undercover operations
Sangha's double life and drug trafficking operation
Sangha was running a "somewhat large drug trafficking operation catering to the Hollywood elite," according to Bill Bodner, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Los Angeles office at the time of Perry's death. Prosecutors have stated that Perry was taking legal amounts of ketamine to treat depression but later started wanting more than permitted by his doctors. This led him to multiple doctors and then eventually to Sangha.
Unveiling secrets
Sangha's friends were unaware of her drug dealing
Despite her involvement in drug trafficking, Sangha's friends were left shocked by the revelation. Tony Marquez, a long-time friend who spoke to the BBC for an upcoming documentary on Perry's death, said he had never suspected Sangha was involved in drugs. "She always had money... She traveled all over by private jet and did that way before everything blew up."
Family details
Sangha's family background and education
Sangha is the daughter of entrepreneur Nilem Singh and Dr. Baljeet Singh Chhokar. Her grandparents were fashion retail multimillionaires in East London, according to the Times. She graduated with an MBA from Hult International Business School in London in 2010, per the BBC. Despite her privileged upbringing, she opened a short-lived nail salon Stiletto Nail Bar, and expressed ambitions of owning a franchise of restaurants to her friends.
Party scene
Sangha's involvement in drug-fueled parties
Sangha was a part of a close-knit group of friends called the "Kitties," who liked to throw parties attended by celebrities. These parties, held across California, would sometimes last for days and "always involved ketamine." Despite attending these parties with Sangha, Marquez said no one ever called her "The Ketamine Queen." They reportedly had access to high-quality ketamine sourced from Mexico at these parties, but Marquez had difficulty believing Sangha had become one of the biggest traffickers herself.
Legal troubles
Sangha's past drug-related death and its aftermath
In 2019, Sangha sold ketamine to a man named Cody McLaury, who later died of an overdose. His sister texted Sangha to inform her that the drugs she sold had killed him. "At that point, any sensible person would have gone to law enforcement; certainly any person with any semblance of a heart would stop their activities and not further distribute ketamine to others," said Martin Estrada, former chief prosecutor for the Central District of California. But she continued anyway.