Chilling Details About The Ketamine Queen
The death of Matthew Perry rocked Hollywood to its core — and now we're beginning to learn more about a woman who may have been involved.
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00:00The death of Matthew Perry rocked Hollywood to its core, and now we're beginning to learn
00:04more about a woman who may have been involved.
00:07Matthew Perry's passing in 2023 was one of those celebrity deaths that seemed to come
00:10out of nowhere.
00:11The 54-year-old star was best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends, a character so iconic
00:16that he forever changed the everyday speech patterns of the generation who grew up watching
00:19him.
00:20I'm not great at the advice.
00:23Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?"
00:25Perry died on October 28, and speculation ran rampant over the cause of his death, even
00:29though it was immediately reported that no foul play was suspected.
00:33On December 15, the release of Perry's autopsy report identified his cause of death as acute
00:37effects of ketamine, sparking a massive investigation into his death.
00:41One of the names that soon became associated with the investigation was Jasmine Sangha.
00:46Dubbed the Ketamine Queen by authorities, she was arrested in 2024 along with several
00:50others amid accusations that she had supplied Perry with the drugs that led to his death.
00:54As more information about Sangha was released, authorities began to paint a chilling picture
00:58of a sprawling underground network of drug suppliers.
01:01On August 15, 2024, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California issued
01:06a press release.
01:07It detailed information contained in newly unsealed court documents pertaining to the
01:11arrests that had been made in connection with Matthew Perry's death, as well as the charges
01:15that had subsequently been filed.
01:16The first name mentioned in the release was Jasmine Sangha.
01:19Among the other names charged for ketamine distribution were one Dr. Salvador Plascencia
01:24and Eric Fleming, who was accused of giving the ketamine to Perry's assistant.
01:28Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's assistant, pleaded guilty to injecting the actor with the drug
01:32on multiple occasions, while Dr. Mark Chavez pleaded guilty to giving ketamine to Plascencia
01:36with a fraudulent prescription.
01:39According to the allegations outlined in the release, Plascencia reportedly contacted Chavez
01:43to arrange a source for supplying Perry with ketamine, which would be administered via
01:46his assistant.
01:47Court documents also allege that by mid-October 2023, Fleming was helping Iwamasa coordinate
01:52ketamine purchases from Sangha when Perry died.
01:55Sangha reportedly texted Fleming to say,
01:57"...delete all our messages."
01:59Fleming was reported to have told Sangha that he had only been in contact with Iwamasa rather
02:03than Perry himself, and that he was, in his words, 90 percent sure everyone is protected.
02:09Many of the details of Matthew Perry's tumultuous personal life were made public by the actor
02:13himself in his memoir, which was released in November 2022.
02:17Perry candidly discussed addiction, among other issues he had faced.
02:21According to the unsealed court documents detailing the arrests, Dr. Salvador Plascencia
02:25had continued to supply Perry's assistant with syringes and ketamine despite having
02:28been told, at least one week earlier, that his addiction was becoming worse.
02:33"...these defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves."
02:39The official indictment against the five people charged in Perry's death details a language
02:43that Jazzvine Sangha reportedly used in describing ketamine, which included Dr. Pepper, cans,
02:48and bots.
02:49It was also suggested that the five specifically targeted Perry, with one September 2023 text
02:53from Plascencia to Dr. Mark Chavez reading,
02:55"...I wonder how much this moron will pay."
02:58The document further states that on October 12, 2023, Perry was injected with a massive
03:03dose of ketamine that caused a dangerous spike in his blood pressure.
03:05That was reportedly two days after Eric Fleming and Jazzvine Sangha spoke about arranging
03:09for the sale of ketamine, and the day after Sangha offered to provide a sample, before
03:13promising more to come.
03:15In an official indictment, authorities write that Eric Fleming was reported to have inquired
03:19about the quantity, quality, and availability of ketamine, to which Sangha responded with
03:23a guarantee that she only sold the highest-quality narcotics.
03:26The following day, Fleming sent a screenshot to their conversation to Perry's assistant,
03:30Kenneth Iwamasa.
03:31Along with that came the message,
03:32"...just got this from my person.
03:34She only deals with high-end celebs.
03:36If it were not great stuff, she'd lose her business."
03:38Fleming was recorded as having promised Iwamasa that Sangha could fill an order for 25 vials
03:42of ketamine.
03:44A second purchase was initiated on October 23rd.
03:46Sangha even reportedly added a bonus of two ketamine lollipops to the order because it
03:50was so large.
03:51Two days later, Sangha was said to have sent another message, which read,
03:54"...please let me know if you think there will be another round.
03:56I'll have to know ahead of time."
03:58In an article by The New York Times covering the last days of Matthew Perry's life, it
04:02was reported that he had gone through proper channels in an attempt to undergo ketamine
04:05therapy under the guidance of certified medical professionals.
04:08However, when they refused to raise his dosage, he began looking into acquiring it in other
04:12ways.
04:14Iwamasa stated that he went through Dr. Salvador Plascencia first, but when they determined
04:17that they needed an even larger supply, they turned to Fleming and Sangha.
04:21Federal prosecutors claimed that Sangha had been connected to the drug trade for several
04:24years by this point.
04:26When Sangha was arrested and charged, some of the charges, including maintaining a drug-involved
04:30premises and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, were in relation to other
04:34drug-related discoveries.
04:36After Perry's death, federal agents raided Sangha's home in North Hollywood.
04:39During that search, they found what amounted to a drug-selling emporium."
04:45Officers recovered 79 vials of ketamine and around three pounds of other drugs, including
04:49methamphetamine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and cocaine.
04:53According to the U.S. Attorney's Office indictment against Sangha, she was aware of the danger
04:57of ketamine, particularly when used in a setting that wasn't overseen by medical professionals.
05:02Authorities claim that she had been selling drugs since at least 2019, which was the same
05:06year that she was connected to the overdose death of Cody McGlory.
05:09Prosecutors in Perry's case publicized a text that one of McGlory's family members sent
05:13Sangha after his death.
05:14It read,
05:15"'The ketamine you sold my brother killed him.
05:17It's listed as a cause of death.'"
05:18They went on to accuse Sangha of continuing to sell ketamine, even though she knew the
05:22dangers.
05:23Among the evidence they brought to the table was a Google search that she had reportedly
05:26made after getting the text message.
05:28Documents say that she had searched,
05:29"'Can ketamine be listed as a cause of death?'," which was also included in the indictment
05:33against her.
05:35When Sangha was arrested in connection with Matthew Perry's death, the charges included
05:38the sale of 50 vials of ketamine that had been supplied to him over the course of just
05:42two weeks.
05:43Media outlets quickly reported that it was also likely further charges would be filed
05:46regarding the death of Cody McGlory.
05:48Although details were scarce, it was also revealed that Sangha had one previous arrest
05:52on her record.
05:53She had been arrested in the same district in the same year and charged with possession
05:56with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
05:58She was freed on bail.
06:00Aside from that, details on this federal case are scarce.
06:04Did Sangha's neighbors suspect that there was anything illegal going on in her life?
06:07The press release issued around the same time specified that she was accused of using her
06:11North Hollywood home as a stash house to deal drugs.
06:13She had allegedly been doing this for at least five years by the time she was arrested.
06:18Neighbors, however, said that, while they noticed some strange activity at her house,
06:21there was nothing that led them to suspect they were living next to a stash house.
06:24In one interview, neighbor Jamie Duke said that he thought the house belonged to musicians,
06:28as he often saw people coming and going while carrying instrument cases.
06:31We knew that something was kind of off."
06:33There were a few altercations and at least one break-in, he said, but continued,
06:36"'It's pretty bizarre.
06:37I never really thought that would be something I would be next door to.
06:40It's kind of surreal and scary.'"
06:42Sangha's friends have also spoken on her behalf, with one telling the Daily Mail that she was
06:46uplifting, bubbly, and sweet.
06:48Others voiced their concern for her, while another said,
06:50"'She's a friend of mine.
06:51I mean, at the end of the day, nobody's forcing anybody to do drugs.'"
06:55When Sangha appeared in court, prosecutors pointed to her social media as evidence of
06:59her connection to the drug trade.
07:02One of the photos posted was of a bracelet that read, "'Mushy,' and included a few mushroom
07:04charms, as well as an added text label that read, "'Pulling out the old raver candy.
07:09Rave to the grave.'"
07:10As prosecutors explained, these posts suggested that Sangha cannot be stopped and will continue
07:14to deal drugs for the rest of her life.
07:16They also described this as a callous choice of words, considering she had caused the deaths
07:20of at least two people.
07:22Other media outlets reported on her social media posts elsewhere.
07:25She was pictured vacationing in locations such as Mexico and Tokyo, eating caviar in
07:29airports, posing on beachfront properties, wearing designer clothing, and practicing
07:33what she called, "'sound healing,' which included indulging in post-party IV drips and cleanses."
07:38Friends also said that not only did they have no idea that she would be arrested for alleged
07:41connections to the drug trade, but that when she hosted an extravagant birthday party just
07:45before her arrest, she gave no indication that there were any problems in her life.
07:49An acquaintance named Greg Boschick told the Daily Mail,
07:52"'I was at her birthday party just the other day, and there was no inkling of anything
07:55like this going on in her life.
07:56She was definitely just a pretty normal person I've known for years.'"
08:00Shortly after the charges brought against Sanga went public, former federal prosecutor
08:04Nima Rahmani told Page Six that this might be only the beginning of the story.
08:08She said,
08:09"'She may name anyone connected to her, anyone who supplied to her, or she supplied to.
08:13Hollywood celebrities should be quaking in their boots.
08:15Anyone who has anything to do with Jasmine Sanga should be really concerned right now.'"
08:19We are sending a clear message.
08:22If you are in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable."
08:27Authorities had been investigating the rising popularity of ketamine since before Perry's
08:31death.
08:32The one-time dance club drug of choice skyrocketed in popularity during the early 2020s, and
08:37according to NYU Langone associate professor Joseph Palomar, the drug has gotten a major
08:41boost from the media, as it has been associated with the rich and famous.
08:45Authorities from Pete Davidson to Elon Musk have been open about their ketamine use.
08:49Palomar told The Washington Post,
08:51"...I don't think it's coincidental that all those things are increasing at the same time."
08:55When things start becoming popular, the thought of ketamine is introduced to people who never
08:58would have used the drug.
09:00Due to changes in the way some medications are prescribed, as well as the black market
09:03demand for ketamine, medical experts are warning that illicit operations could lead to an uptick
09:08in ketamine-related deaths.
09:09This is especially likely considering that the amount of illegal ketamine seized increased
09:13by a factor of about 12 between 2017 and 2022 alone.
09:18Ketamine is something of a double-edged sword.
09:20Although many are quick to point out that more research needs to be done, some mental
09:24health professionals are adamant that ketamine has the potential to change lives for the
09:27better, but only when it's administered properly.
09:30The drug has been shown to be successful in treating conditions such as depression, chronic
09:33pain, cancer pain, migraines, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
09:37However, there's an increasing concern over the likelihood that it can be improperly used,
09:41abused, and even tainted, particularly with fentanyl.
09:44Yale School of Medicine psychiatry professor Dr. Gerard Santacora told CNN,
09:48"[Ketamine is possibly the major advance in the area of psychiatry in the past 50 years,
09:53but it's not without risk.
09:54It's always been a balance.
09:55The reality is that it's an amazing treatment for many people, but we also know that it
09:59is a drug that people misuse and will abuse."
10:02Prosecutors described Jasmine Sangha and the others charged in the ketamine-related death
10:05of Matthew Perry as being more interested in profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring
10:09for his well-being.
10:12Others worry that this case will set back the regulated use of ketamine.
10:14In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, psychotherapist Carole Gilson explained that
10:18she had led thousands of successful sessions using ketamine.
10:21She said,
10:22"'Ketamine is a valuable medicine, and my biggest fear is that it is in danger because
10:25of people like this.'"
10:27If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available.
10:31Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact
10:35SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
10:39That's 1-800-662-HELP.