Brits want the body to DIE for
SLIMMING PILLS BOUGHT ON ‘DARK WEB’ KILL FIVE
BRITS are turning to the dark web to buy diet pills that have killed five people in the last six months.
Fat-burning DNP is being used by slimmers despite being highly toxic and illegal for human consumption.
Banned drugs like Phentermine, which killed Police Academy star Bubba Smith in 2011, and Sibutramine are also being bought on hidden websites.
The Food Standards Agency shut 16 websites to crack down on the evil online trade.
But a Daily Star Sunday probe can reveal sales are still booming on the black market.
We found scores of UK dealers using encrypted sites to cash in on the growing demand.
One selling 3kg of 99.9% pure DNP powder for £350 claimed: “3kg powder can make about 12,000 capsules worth over £4,000!”
Another offered 25 200mg capules for £16.60.
But musclemen and dieters are not listening to the warnings about the risks.
In 2016, one person died using DNP. Two died in 2017 and five fatalities have already been recorded in 2018.
Vaidotas Gerbutavicius, 21, bought DNP on the web and died in March. He had used it for three years.
Beth Shipsey, 21, of Worcester, died after taking pills containing DNP in February 2017. Her dad Doug is now campaigning to have it banned. He called the substance “as explosive as TNT”. Another victim was Eloise Parry, who was battling bulimia.
An inquest heard how the 21-year-old from Shewsbury “burned up from the inside” after swallowing eight of the pills.
DNP heats the body from the inside out. It prevents energy being stored as fat but can damage the muscles, kidneys and brain.
The increase in temperature can result in seizures, coma or kidney failure.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said: “Slimming tablets can seem like a quick-fix solution to weight problems but some of them contain very dangerous ingredients.”