88 UK deaths linked to Canada ‘poison seller’
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has said 88 people in the UK died after buying a poisonous substance from a Canadian seller.
The NCA says it cannot confirm the chemical was the direct cause of the UK deaths but it is investigating potential criminal offences.
British police have been making welfare visits to hundreds of addresses as they trace buyers of the substance.
The seller – Kenneth Law, 57, was arrested in May and is accused of assisting suicide in Canada.
It is thought he was running a number of websites selling equipment to assist suicide, including a poisonous chemical that has been sent to customers in more than 40 countries.
The NCA says that 232 people in the UK have so far been identified as buying from Mr Law over a two year period. The agency says 88 of them later died but they could not confirm a direct link with the death.
NCA deputy director Craig Turner said: “Our deepest sympathies are with the loved ones of those who have died. They are being supported by specially trained officers from police forces.
“In consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, the NCA has taken the decision to conduct an investigation into potential criminal offences committed in the UK. This operation is under way.”
