Ontario man set to appear in court for lethal sodium nitrite powder case

A 57-year-old Mississauga, Ont., man accused of selling a lethal substance to people at risk of killing themselves is set to appear in court today.

Peel Regional Police arrested Kenneth Law earlier this month and charged him with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide after investigating two recent deaths in the area.

Peel police allege the man used several websites to market and sell sodium nitrite, a substance that is commonly used to cure meats but can be deadly.

They say their investigation has revealed at least 1,200 packages were allegedly sent to 40 countries.

Several other police forces in Canada are reviewing past deaths after the allegations came to light.

Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner says at least 37 people have died from sodium nitrite over the past five years.