A chef has been accused of selling a lethal substance online to vulnerable young people, police say

• A Canadian man is facing charges of aiding suicide, after a probe into his distribution of lethal substances worldwide, police said.
• An ongoing investigation found at least 20 people had died after receiving sodium nitrite from Kenneth Law. 
• Law was arrested after a lengthy investigation into the former chef by The Times. 

A former Canadian chef is facing criminal charges as part of an ongoing investigation into the links between his selling and distributing sodium nitrite, and multiple people taking their own lives around the world, authorities said. 

After a lengthy investigation by The Times found Kenneth Law had been supplying the substance through a now-removed website to vulnerable young people around the world who wanted to end their lives, authorities in the UK, Canada, the US, Italy and New Zealand are investigating possible suicides in connections to Law's actions since 2021, The Times reported in May. 

Sodium nitrite is a chemical substance that is commonly used as a food additive, but can be toxic and deadly, according to CNN. 

So far, authorities have linked Law's distribution of the sodium nitrate to up to 20 deaths, including as many as 13 in Britain, The Times reported. Toronto's CTV News later reported that 21 deaths had been linked to the use of Law's product. 

Law had been sending the poison around the world from a post office near Toronto, according to The Times.

Canadian authorities charged Law, 57, last month with two counts of counseling or aiding suicide, according to CNN. The Canadian man has been rescheduled to appear in court this week, according to local news. 

"Investigators are working in collaboration with multiple jurisdictions across Ontario, nationally and internationally as we believe there could be more victims. The suspect is currently in our custody awaiting a bail hearing," Marc Andrews, deputy chief of Canada's Peel Regional Police, said at a news briefing in early May.

Referred to as a "poison peddler," by The Times, Law claimed to a Times' undercover reporter that he had sent the poisonous product to "hundreds" of people in Britain 

Law told the undercover reporter that "many, many, many, many" had died, The Times reported. "People in the UK have died, people in the US have died, people in Canada have died, and other parts of the world," he said.

According to The Times investigation, Law told a reporter on the outskirts of Toronto where he was delivering packages, "I'm not assisting anything, I'm selling a product," he said.  

David Parfett's 22-year-old son Tom took his own life after buying the poison from Law, he said. Parfett, from Maidenhead, England, told The Times: "I think he's the man that effectively handed a loaded gun to my son. I believe my son would still be alive if it wasn't for this man and this substance."

Canadian police said that Law had sent 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries, and circulated a list of names to authorities in Britain, and around the world, so they could embark on welfare checks, per The Times.

"In London we have traced a number of people who are safe and well having purchased this substance from the suspect. They are being referred to local support services," London's Metropolitan Police told CTV News in a statement in May.

"There has however been a number of individuals identified as having received the substance and who have since died," London police said.

London's Metropolitan Police told Insider there were no further updates on their investigation at this time. 

The substance is legal to sell because it has other uses, but assisting suicide is illegal in the UK and Canada. It is punishable by up to 14 years in prison in both countries, per The Times.

If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or has had thoughts of harming themself or taking their own life, get help. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention and crisis situations. Help is also available through the Crisis Text Line — just text "HOME" to 741741. The International Association for Suicide Prevention offers resources for those outside the US.