A man has been arrested after 88 people in the UK died having purchased a poisonous substance from an online seller in Canada, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has reported.
The NCA said it cannot confirm the chemicals were the direct cause of death for the individuals, but potential criminal offences were being investigated. British police have tracked hundreds of buyers across the country and welfare checks are underway.
Kenneth Law, 57, was arrested in May and has been accused of selling products to assist suicide through several websites, the BBC reported.
Included is a poisonous chemical he sent to customers in more than 40 countries.
Canadian police said an investigation started after the sudden death of a Toronto adult in April, and since Law’s arrest, police forces across the UK are making checks on everyone who ordered the substance.
The NCA said 232 people in the UK have been identified as buying off law within a two-year period. The agency said 88 of the buyers later died, but a direct link between the substance and the customers deaths have not yet been established.
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."
Law is due to appear in court again later this month. Under Canadian criminal code, convincing or aiding a person to die by suicide can result in a 14 year prison sentence.
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