A convicted drug dealer has been returned to jail after manufacturing and distributing dangerous so-called ‘diet pills’ from his own home, using chemicals accessed from the dark web. Kyle Enos, aged 33, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court after being found guilty of a range of offences linked to the illegal production and sale of tablets containing a banned substance notorious for its deadly effects.
Enos is reported to have ordered 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP), a highly toxic industrial chemical, from China. He acquired it in its pure sodium salt form, which is forbidden for human consumption in the UK due to its poisonous nature. Despite its dangers—which include severe risk of death and critical health complications—Enos used his bedroom as a makeshift laboratory, mixing the vibrant orange powder with other agents and utilising a pill press to create the finished product.
The court was told that Enos not only produced these hazardous pills but also went to considerable lengths to evade detection. He packaged his shipments as innocent-looking vitamin tablets and operated a sophisticated sales operation via a website he controlled. Orders were accepted through email, payments processed in cryptocurrency, and tablets posted to customers throughout the UK and as far afield as Hawaii and Australia.
His supposed ‘diet aids’ were, in reality, lethal poisons. DNP has a notorious history and is strictly prohibited for human tablets, yet demand through online forums remains amongst some seeking extreme weight loss solutions. Experts have long warned that ingestion of DNP can result in rapid, fatal overheating of the body, with several deaths in the UK linked to similar substances.
In July of the previous year, officers from Tarian, Wales’ regional organised crime unit, executed a raid on Enos’ address following intelligence from the National Crime Agency. Inside, they seized more than two kilograms of DNP powder and the pill press used in the production. Investigators revealed that the devices and chemicals found posed a substantial risk not just to those consuming the pills, but potentially to anyone coming into contact with them.
Enos has a history of serious drug offences. In 2018, he was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted for importing and selling large amounts of the powerful opioid fentanyl. Using the alias “sovietbear”, he sourced the drug from laboratories in China, blended it with other substances, and distributed it worldwide via the dark web. Following that conviction, a court-imposed serious crime prevention order prohibited Enos from online commercial activities and accessing the dark web—conditions he flagrantly breached when he took up the manufacture and mail-order sale of DNP pills.
Upon his recent conviction, Enos pleaded guilty to several charges relating to importing and supplying a regulated substance without a licence, as well as failing to comply with the terms of his serious crime prevention order. His sentence, reduced in recognition of his guilty plea, will see him spend three years behind bars, with possible early release under supervision at the halfway point.
Detective Constable Kieran Morris of the Tarian unit described Enos’ prosecution as the result of “a proactive partnership investigation”, which included the National Food Crime Unit, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, and several other agencies. Morris stressed the urgent public threat posed by Enos’ pills, saying, “He was supplying these dangerous substances without any safety guidelines, which could easily have caused serious illness or death. This sentence should act as a clear message to those who might consider similar criminal activity.”
Representatives from the National Crime Agency underlined the vital role played by crime prevention orders, noting they will continue to carefully monitor individuals released from prison for high-level drug offences. The case, they suggested, serves as a sober warning that attempts to return to such activities will be met with strong enforcement and further legal consequences.
The Enos case highlights the persistent risks posed by illegal online pharmaceutical markets and the severe consequences for those willing to gamble with public safety in pursuit of profit.