Drug dealer who called himself a pharmacist jailed after death of Cambridge University student Keshava Iyengar
Cambridgeshire Police said it was not possible to prove that Benjamin Brown's actions caused the death of Mr Iyengar. Brown, who sold prescription-only medicines on Instagram and Snapchat, was sentenced instead for supplying and possessing drugs.
Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:47, UK
A drug dealer arrested after the death of a Cambridge University student has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Police tracked down and detained Benjamin Brown after Keshava Iyengar, 20, was found dead in a friend's room at the university's Trinity College in March 2021.
An inquest found that the death of Mr Iyengar, who had taken an overdose of anti-anxiety medication, was drug-related.
Cambridgeshire Police said it was not possible to prove that Brown's actions caused the death of Mr Iyengar, but he was sentenced for supplying and possessing drugs.
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An investigation had uncovered messages on Mr Iyengar's phone from a drug dealer called "Lean Xan Man" - later identified by police as 32-year-old Brown.
He was a self-proclaimed "pharmacist" selling a range of prescription-only drugs on Instagram and Snapchat.
Brown from Guildford, Surrey, was arrested in July 2021.
A search of his home uncovered drugs, more than £15,000 in cash and labels featuring his "business logo", according to Cambridgeshire Police.
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Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, one count in the supply of class B drugs, two counts in the supply of class C drugs, possession of class A drugs and possession with intent to supply class C drugs.
His drug-dealing business was described as "substantial, sophisticated and lucrative" by the sentencing judge.
The judge said that, through greed, Brown had "profited from the vulnerabilities of others dependent on prescription medication for conditions such as anxiety".
Detective Constable Dan Harper said: "Brown was running a huge operation from his bedroom in Surrey, which had tragic consequences.
"It is not possible to prove that Brown's actions caused the death of Keshava, but you can say with certainty that drugs ruin lives and there is a reason why some can only be prescribed by a medical professional."