Dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" by US prosecutors, alleged drug dealer Jasveen Sangha is one of five people who US officials say supplied ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry, exploiting his drug addiction for profit, and leading to his overdose death.
Ms Sangha now faces nine charges, including conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
The American-British dual-national, who wore a Nirvana sweatshirt for her court appearance, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday.
Her bail request was denied by US officials and she will remain in custody until her trial in October.
The indictment alleges that Ms Sangha’s distribution of ketamine on 24 October 2023 caused Perry’s death.
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It can distort perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control.
It is used as an injectable anaesthetic for humans and animals because it makes patients feel detached from their pain and environment.
The substance is supposed to be administered only by a physician, investigators say, and patients who have taken the drug should be monitored by a professional because of its possible harmful effects.
Ms Sangha is alleged to have supplied ketamine from her "stash house" since at least 2019.
Her North Hollywood home was a "drug-selling emporium", Martin Estrada, the US attorney for California's Central District, told a news conference on Thursday.
More than 80 vials of ketamine were allegedly found there in a search, along with thousands of pills that included methamphetamine, cocaine and Xanax.
The home, called the "Sangha Stash House" in the indictment, was where she is alleged to have packaged and distributed drugs.
She "only deal
At the same time, she lived a jetsetter life which she shared widely on social media.
Ms Sangha is said to have mixed with celebrities socially as well, with one of her friends telling the Daily Mail she attended the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
More at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd052vxr5yko
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