Case involving online sale of lethal drugs moves forward with next court date for Mississauga man
Published December 4, 2023 at 2:02 pm
A Mississauga man alleged to have sold a lethal substance online to people at risk of self-harm in Peel, across southern Ontario and in as many as 40 other countries is reportedly scheduled to make a brief court appearance this week.
Kenneth Law, 57, was charged earlier this year with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide in relation to victims in Peel. In late August, the Mississauga man was charged with 12 additional counts of the same offence.
Law is scheduled to briefly appear by video conference in Newmarket court on Wednesday, according to reports. He’s currently in a detention centre as the sweeping investigation, which involves Peel Regional Police in addition to other law enforcement agencies across Ontario and the world, continues.
A multi-jurisdictional Ontario police task force was formed earlier this year to handle the case within provincial borders.
Police said in late August that the additional charges were laid in relation to four newer cases in Toronto, one in Peel (for a total of three in Peel), three in York and one each in Durham, London, Thunder Bay and Waterloo.
In what police earlier 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 looking into numerous deaths that may be connected to several online companies that allegedly sold the lethal drug online.
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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.
Earlier in August, authorities in England revealed 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.
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
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