The woman branded Hollywood’s “Ketamine Queen” has been jailed after a scandal that stunned the entertainment world. British-born socialite Jasveen Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday after supplying the ketamine linked to the death of Friends star Matthew Perry.

The case has peeled back the glittering curtain on a dark Hollywood party scene—where privilege, drugs and celebrity access collided with tragic consequences.

Perry, beloved worldwide for his role as Chandler Bing, was found floating face down in a hot tub in late 2023. Investigators later traced the fatal ketamine dose back through a network of suppliers.

At the centre of that chain was Sangha, a glamorous Los Angeles socialite who had once moved easily among the city’s elite party circles. To those who knew her, however, the label “Ketamine Queen” never quite fit. Friends insist Sangha wasn’t driven by drugs or money—but by something more intoxicating: proximity to fame.

“It was the high of having access to A-list celebrities,” said Tony Marquez, a long-time friend from her Hollywood social scene. “That’s the biggest drug she dealt with.” Marquez claims Sangha was addicted not to substances but to status. Red carpets, celebrity parties and exclusive gatherings were her true obsession.

Ketamine, he says, simply opened doors.

The contrast between Sangha’s upbringing and her eventual downfall is striking. Born in Ilford in 1983, she came from a wealthy family with deep business roots.

Her grandparents, Budh and Harbhajan Singh, were multimillionaires who built a clothing business supplying shops across Britain. Sangha’s mother, Nilem Singh, entered an arranged marriage with Indian doctor Baljeet Singh Chhokar in 1982.

Sangha, their only child, appeared destined to inherit the family fortune.

Instead, her life veered in a dramatically different direction. After two brief marriages, Sangha and her mother moved to California in 1993. Despite growing up without her father’s presence—something her defence later highlighted—she thrived academically.

She became an honour roll student at Calabasas High School and received a President’s Award for Educational Excellence. Friends remember a bright and ambitious young woman. Sangha graduated in 2001 and went on to study social sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Later she returned to Britain to complete an MBA at Hult University in London.

Classmates recall a polished and sociable student who wore designer clothes and appeared financially comfortable. There were no whispers of drugs or criminal behaviour during those years. “She didn’t come off as a hustler,” one friend recalled.

But the turning point came after she returned to Los Angeles in her late twenties. Sangha opened a short-lived nail salon called Stiletto Nail Bar and explored other business ideas. Around the same time, she plunged deeper into Hollywood’s nightlife.

She became part of a close group of party-going friends known as the “Kitties.” The circle threw extravagant gatherings attended by celebrities, complete with top DJs and high-end sound systems. The parties often stretched on for days. And drugs were everywhere.

“It always involved ketamine,” said Marquez. The drug was popular not only for its euphoric effects but because it was considered less likely to be contaminated with fentanyl, the powerful opioid linked to more than 250,000 deaths in the United States.

During this period, Sangha’s own drug use intensified. What began as weekend clubbing escalated into private mansion parties and exclusive events in the Hollywood Hills. According to Marquez, Sangha became the social butterfly of the group.

“She was always out,” he recalled. “Going to premieres, red carpets, places in the Hollywood Hills.”

But while she dazzled friends on the surface, investigators later discovered a far darker reality. In March 2024, police raided Sangha’s Hollywood apartment. Inside they found a massive stash of drugs. Authorities seized around 79 vials of ketamine, 1.4kg of pills containing methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms, cocaine and prescription drugs.

To federal investigators, the evidence pointed to a significant operation. “She was running a somewhat large drug trafficking operation catering to the Hollywood elite,” said retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent Bill Bodner, whose office led the investigation into Perry’s death.

Marquez disputes that description. “That’s a stash for two weekends of partying at a big event,” he argued.

Still, prosecutors say Sangha had been dealing drugs for years before Perry’s death. Evidence shows she supplied ketamine to Cody McLaury, a 33-year-old man who died from an overdose in 2019. McLaury’s death involved multiple drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and ketamine.

Although prosecutors did not charge Sangha with causing that death, they say she was aware of the connection. And she kept selling drugs. That, prosecutors argue, shows a troubling pattern.

They also claim Sangha showed little remorse. Court documents revealed she discussed potential book rights to her story during a recorded prison phone call. “We’re gonna sell those book rights,” a friend said, according to filings.

“Oh, I know,” Sangha replied. “The plan is in.”

Investigators say Sangha eventually became linked to Perry through intermediary Erik Fleming, who arranged ketamine sales via text messages. Together, Sangha and Fleming sold Perry 51 vials of the drug across two transactions—including the fatal dose. Fleming is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29.

Perry’s family has spoken of the devastating impact of his death. In a victim impact statement, his stepmother Debbie Perry urged the court to impose the maximum possible sentence. “The pain you’ve caused… is irreversible,” she wrote.

Despite glowing character references from friends and supporters—including LA socialite Perla Hudson—prosecutors maintained Sangha knowingly sold dangerous drugs and continued doing so even after deaths were linked to her supply.

The judge ultimately sentenced her to 15 years in prison. The glittering Hollywood socialite who chased celebrity access now faces years behind bars—her name forever tied to one of the entertainment industry’s most shocking tragedies.

How a British heiress became the 'Ketamine Queen' – and sold Matthew Perry his fatal dose

She's lovely ......was !

4 hours ago, bannork said:

At the centre of that chain was Sangha, a glamorous Los Angeles socialite who had once moved easily among the city’s elite party circles.

So her claim to fame was selling drugs to A-list celebrities.

And she was trying to ruin their lives because they were 1000 times wealthier than her and she was a nobody.

And an Indian name, for all the statisticians and Vindaloo lovers on here.

5 hours ago, save the frogs said:

So her claim to fame was selling drugs to A-list celebrities.

And she was trying to ruin their lives because they were 1000 times wealthier than her and she was a nobody.

And an Indian name, for all the statisticians and Vindaloo lovers on here.

And for all the bigots like you.

She is third generation British.

1 minute ago, Alan Zweibel said:

And for all the bigots like you.

She is third generation British.

Nah, not a bigot.

I dont trust white folks or my own family members any more than an Indian native.

It was just a stupid comment on my part.

SNL did a great skit. It's not good to be racist, but it's good to be too relaxed around anybody either.