Self-styled 'pharmacist' drug dealer jailed after death of Cambridge University student

A drug dealer who styled himself as a "pharmacist" has been jailed following the death of a Cambridge University student.

Benjamin Brown was traced by police after a 20-year-old Keshava Iyengar died at Trinity College, Cambridge in 2021, and text messages on his phone revealed an exchange with Brown.

Brown sold prescription drugs on Instagram and Snapchat under the pseudonym Lean Xan Man, with police describing his bedroom operation as "huge".

A search of his home uncovered drugs, more than £15,000 in cash and sticky labels with his business logo.

However, Cambridgeshire Police could not prove that Brown, from Guildford in Surrey, directly caused Mr Iyengar's death.

Brown pleaded guilty to multiple counts of supplying and possessing Class A, B and C drugs and was sentenced on Friday at Huntingdon Law Courts to four-and-a-half years in prison.

The sentencing judge said Brown "profited from the vulnerabilities of others dependent on prescription medication for conditions such as anxiety" calling his business "substantial, sophisticated and lucrative".

Det Con Dan Harper said Brown's business had "tragic consequences".

He said: "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.”

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