On 5 February 2020, Barry Clint Wright was sentenced to seven years in prison by a US court after pleading guilty to offences of selling DNP as an unlawful drug under US law. 

Three people died after purchasing DNP from Wright, including Vaidotas Gerbutavicius who died in London in March 2018.  

The FSA’s National Food Crime Unit shared intelligence with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help secure the conviction. 

Darren Davies, Head of the FSA’s National Food Crime Unit, said:

DNP is a dangerous, highly toxic industrial chemical and it is irresponsible and unforgiveable to sell it for human consumption. We were pleased to work closely with the US FDA in securing this conviction and hope that the sentence and very real consequences will deter others from selling this dangerous substance.

What is DNP?

2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) is a highly toxic industrial chemical which is poisonous to humans and can cause death, as well as other serious physical side effects. It is sometimes illegally marketed as a weight-loss aid. 

The effects of DNP can be catastrophic and cause serious harm to health. Taking DNP has resulted in a significant number of deaths in the UK.