Probe of lethal drug sales online leads to dozen more charges against Mississauga man

A Mississauga man accused of selling a lethal substance online to people at risk of self-harm in Peel, across southern Ontario and reportedly in as many as 40 other countries is now facing an additional dozen charges, the head of a multi-jurisdictional Ontario police task force said Tuesday morning.

Kenneth Law, 57, charged earlier this year with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide in relation to victims in Peel, was charged this week with 12 additional counts of the same offence, York Regional Police Insp. Simon James told reporters at a news conference at Peel Regional Police headquarters in Mississauga.

James, who’s heading a task force comprised of 11 Ontario police agencies including Peel, York and Toronto municipal forces in addition to the OPP, said the additional charges have been laid in relation to four new cases in Toronto, one in Peel (for a total of three), three in York and one each in Durham, London, Thunder Bay and Waterloo.

In what James described as a “very active and complex investigation,” which began back in May with the sudden death of a person in Peel, police agencies across Ontario, Canada and the world are now looking into numerous deaths that may be connected to several online companies that allegedly sold the lethal drug online.

Law is accused of using several websites to market and sell sodium nitrite, a substance commonly used to cure meats that can be deadly if ingested.

Tuesday’s update from police here comes after authorities in England revealed last week they’re investigating the deaths of 88 people in the U.K. who bought products from Canadian-based websites allegedly offering lethal substances to those at risk of harming themselves.

Authorities in the United States, Italy, Australia and New Zealand also have launched investigations.

James said on Tuesday that more than 1,200 packages, including about 160 in Canada, have been sent out by the several online companies to some 40 countries around the world.

He emphasized, however, that not all of those packages are believed to be related to any deaths or criminal intent.

Moving forward, Law is scheduled to appear in Newmarket court to answer to all charges, police said.

Other police forces that are part of the task force are Durham, Barrie, London, Waterloo, Windsor, Ottawa and Thunder Bay.

“All of these agencies are helping with the investigation as it’s believed people within those regions may have received packages,” James said, adding police in Ontario are also cooperating with law enforcement agencies around the world.

Earlier this summer, Peel police issued a public safety announcement related to the investigation, specifically about the online sale of sodium nitrite and masks.

Police say if anyone receives a package they suspect may contain the substance, they are to call police immediately.

“We ask that the public be cautious and vigilant of online activities,” an earlier police advisory read, noting payment or transactions related to the following companies should be deemed suspicious, and reported to police:

• Imtime Cuisine
• AmbuCA
• Academic/ACademic
• Escape Mode/escMode
• ICemac