A man allegedly behind the online sale of a lethal substance linked to deaths abroad has been arrested and charged after the deaths of two adults in Peel Region, police say.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Kenneth Law, 57, has been charged with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide, Peel Regional Police said in a news release on Tuesday evening.
“It is believed that the suspect distributed and marketed the substance online to target individuals at risk of self-harm,” police said in the release.
Police say some 1,200 packages believed to be linked to the companies associated with Law have been shipped to over 40 countries, however it’s unknown exactly how many of them contained the substance sodium nitrite.
The charges against Law follow a month-long investigation that began on March 31 after a sudden death in which the victim was suspected of consuming sodium nitrite, police said. The substance was believed to be to have been purchased by an online company owned by Law.
WATCH | Suspect sold poison to suicidal young people, newspaper report says:
Police arrest Toronto-area man for allegedly selling chemical used in suicides
A Toronto-area man has been arrested for allegedly selling sodium nitrite online to people hoping to take their own lives. The chemical is used for curing meats but if taken in large quantities can kill you.
Sodium nitrite is a salt compound or food additive that is commonly used to cure meats. But the white, crystalline substance can be lethal when ingested in high concentrations, according to toxicology experts.
Peel Deputy Police Chief Marc Andrews told reporters that further investigation revealed that Law was allegedly linked to additional companies, including Imtime Cuisine, AmbuCA, Academic/ACademic, Escape Mode/escMode and ICemac.
Andrews urged the public to contact police immediately if they know someone who has received a package from any of these companies.
“The mental health and well-being of our communities is our main priority. As such, we will not tolerate criminal actions by those who prey on vulnerable individuals in our community,” Andrews said.
Peel police say they are working with other police forces across Ontario, nationally and internationally, because they believe there could be more victims.
“It’s been a really hard slog,” Andrews said. “Our investigators have done a lot of legwork.”
In late April, Peel police confirmed they were investigating after The Times of London reported a Mississauga, Ont., man named Kenneth Law had allegedly been selling a potentially lethal, but legal, substance online to people overseas looking to end their lives.
Reached by phone at the time, Law told CBC News the allegations in the article were “false.”
Law is expected to appear in court for a bail hearing on Wednesday.
Peel Police’s investigation appears to have involved law enforcement in Britain.
A spokesperson for Britain’s National Crime Agency told CBC News late last week, “We are in contact with our Canadian counterparts regarding this matter and liaising with local police as appropriate.”
The FBI declined to comment on any potential involvement in the Ontario investigation “as a matter of longstanding policy.”
CBC has seen images of the packets of sodium nitrite sold on the website connected to Law. They list the product as being “99.999% pure” but “food grade.”
While sodium nitrite is commonly used in food preparation, including for cured meats, Greg Blonder, a Boston University visiting scholar in engineering, said in an email that “typical culinary application levels” are much lower, “at the 100 parts per million level.”
Online, including on the now defunct website selling sodium nitrite, Law used the “PEng” abbreviation, suggesting a professional engineering designation.
The licensing and regulating body Professional Engineers Ontario, however, told CBC News that Law is considered “not permitted to practise” as he has paid reduced fees to the organization since 2012.
If you have a news tip or important information related to this story, contact CBC News senior reporter Thomas Daigle by email: thomas.daigle@cbc.ca.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to get help:
-
Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text between 4 p.m. and midnight ET).
-
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.
-
Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
-
This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you’re worried about.
