The Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) in turn opened an investigation into “suicide kits” which were allegedly sent to Montrealers by mail.
This investigation in Quebec is linked to that which is already underway in Ontario into Kenneth Law, a 57-year-old Ontarian who was arrested by the police last May.
He is suspected of having sold online, across Canada and in more than forty countries, some 1,200 packages containing sodium nitrite. This substance is fatal in high doses, indicates the SPVM.
Kenneth Law now faces ten counts of advising or facilitating suicide in relation to deaths in Ontario. Advising, encouraging or assisting a person to kill themselves is an offense under the Canadian Criminal Code and is punishable by imprisonment.
Since some of the kits prepared by suspect Law were supposedly sent to people living in Montreal, the SPVM took over the investigation there.
The SPVM calls for vigilance: powdered sodium nitrite, a common preservative, can cause death if ingested in high doses, it says. Additionally, it may cause irritation on the skin if not handled with gloves.
The SPVM speaks of “kits” in its press release released Monday, but does not wish to specify whether the packages contained anything else, “given the sensitivity of the subject and out of concern for public safety,” said an SPVM spokesperson when ‘asked about this.
Peel Regional Police, who are investigating in Ontario, say it is possible that the names of the following companies appear on the kits being shipped: Academic/ACademic, Escape Mode/escMode, Imtime Cuisine, AmbuCA and ICemac.
The investigation into Kenneth Law has already extended beyond the country’s borders: American, British, Italian, Australian and New Zealand authorities have also opened investigations into the Ontarian’s activities. In late August, British police announced they were investigating the deaths of 88 people in the United Kingdom who had purchased products from Canadian websites linked to Mr. Law.
The police invite anyone with information on this subject to call 911 or to communicate anonymously and confidentially with Info-Crime Montréal at 514 393-1133 or via the report form available on the infocrimemontreal.ca website.
Need help ?
If you are thinking about suicide or worried about a loved one, support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Quebec residents can contact the Suicide Prevention Center at 1-866-APPELLE (1-866- 277-3553) or visit suicide.ca for help via text or chat. You can also call Let’s Talk Suicide Canada (1-833-456-4566) or text in the evening to the number 45645.
To get help regarding your mental health or that of a loved one, do not hesitate to contact the Info-Social 811 service.