The indictment alleges that Iwamasa continued to administer at least six doses per day on October 25, 26, and 27, before administering the final, fatal three doses on October 28. Picture: Gallo Images
Lavish vacations, glamorous photoshoots, and glitzy nights out fill the Instagram feed of Jasveen Sangha, 41, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” who now faces charges related to Matthew Perry’s drug overdose death.
Sangha, 41, along with four others, was arrested and charged in August for allegedly supplying the Friends star with the ketamine that led to his death on 28 October last year, authorities announced yesterday.
The other suspects include Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, his acquaintance Erik Fleming, and two doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez.
An indictment unsealed in Los Angeles federal court reveals that Iwamasa and Fleming collaborated with the doctors to acquire significant amounts of ketamine for Perry in the months leading up to his death, The Independent reported.
Sangha is accused of providing Perry with the fatal doses of ketamine, according to US Attorney E. Martin Estrada at a press conference.
She faces charges including conspiracy to distribute ketamine, maintaining a drug-involved premises, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of ketamine distribution.
According to the BBC, ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with some hallucinogenic effects, is known to distort perceptions of sight and sound, causing users to feel disconnected and out of control, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Typically, it is administered as an injectable anesthetic for humans and animals, providing a sense of detachment from pain and the surrounding environment.
At a news conference on Thursday, Martin Estrada, the US Attorney for California’s Central District, described her North Hollywood home as a “drug-selling emporium.”
During a search, authorities reportedly found over 80 vials of ketamine, along with thousands of pills, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax.
The indictment refers to the residence as the “Sangha Stash House,” where she is accused of packaging and distributing drugs. According to the indictment, her co-accused Erik Fleming claimed that Ms. Sangha “only deals with high-end and celebrities.”
In connection with Perry’s death, Sangha is said to have supplied Fleming with 50 vials of the drug in two separate transactions in October, which Fleming then ultimately gave to Perry.
According to the indictment, Sangha provided Fleming with a sample of ketamine in an unmarked clear glass vial with a blue cap for Perry to try on October 13. Fleming collected the sample from Sangha and delivered it to Perry’s residence, the New York Post reported.
The following day, Fleming returned to Sangha’s to collect 25 vials of the drug and then delivered them to Perry’s Los Angeles home, according to court documents.
A little over a week later, on October 23, Fleming retrieved $6,000 in cash from Perry’s residence to pay Sangha.
The next day, he went back to Sangha’s to exchange the cash for another 25 vials of the drug, as detailed in the court papers.
Sangha included complimentary “ketamine lollipops” with Perry’s large order.
Prosecutors claim that Fleming delivered the drug to Perry’s home, where Iwamasa gave the actor, “sic shots” of the drug.
The indictment further alleges that Iwamasa continued to administer at least six doses per day on October 25, 26, and 27, before administering the final, fatal three doses on October 28.
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