Man Who Sold Deadly Diet Drug to Plead Guilty

A man who sold an illegal diet drug on eBay to a Rhode Island resident who later died is scheduled to plead guilty to a misdemeanor in federal court in California.

The person died in 2013 after taking the drug known as DNP - or 2,4-Dinitrophenol.

DNP is a wood preserver and herbicide, but is also sold as a fat-burning drug.

A number of people in the United Kingdom have died after taking it and government has warned against its use. Some compare it to cooking the body from within.

Court documents say Alan Alden agreed to plead guilty Thursday to introducing an unapproved drug into interstate commerce. The plea deal says it can't be established whether the person died from the DNP Alden sold.

Prosecutors are recommending three years' probation.

Copyright The Associated Press
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