Canadian chef Kenneth Law has appeared in court on charges related to allegedly selling lethal substances online, intended to assist people in ending their lives. Law, 57, was arrested in Ontario, Canada, and is facing two counts of counselling and aiding suicide. He is accused of selling approximately 1,200 packages to 40 countries through disguised websites. The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is investigating 88 deaths potentially linked to products purchased from Canadian websites offering substances for suicide assistance. However, the NCA has not confirmed that the substance sold by Law directly caused these deaths.

Law is under investigation by law enforcement agencies in various countries, including the United States, Italy, and Australia. British authorities have been conducting welfare visits to hundreds of addresses in the UK to locate buyers who purchased products from the websites. So far, 272 individuals in the UK have been identified as having made such purchases, with 88 of them having died. The NCA stated that there are currently no confirmed connections between the products bought from these websites and the cause of death in these cases.

Kenneth Law came to the attention of law enforcement after he allegedly disclosed to an undercover reporter that many of his customers had died over a two-year period. He claimed to have sent the substance to hundreds of people in numerous countries, some of whom praised his actions as “God’s work.” Law stated that he began selling the poison after witnessing his mother suffering from a stroke.

Several individuals, including 17-year-old Anthony Jones from Michigan and others in the UK, are alleged victims of Law’s products. In both the UK and Canada, assisting suicide is illegal, carrying a maximum penalty of up to 14 years in prison. Law’s websites have since been taken down by their domain owners. If you or someone you know is in crisis, assistance is available from helplines such as 988, Samaritans, and Crisis Text Line.