Drug dealer jailed after death of Indian-origin Cambridge student

London, November 22

A drug dealer who claimed to be a “pharmacist” has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after the death of an Indian-origin University of Cambridge student led to his arrest.

Benjamin Brown was tracked down by the Cambridgeshire Police after officers found 20-year-old Keshava Iyengar dead in a friend’s room at Trinity College, Cambridge University, in March 2021.

A coroner’s report later concluded that Iyengar’s death was drug-related and the police investigation uncovered messages on his phone from a drug dealer called “Lean Xan Man.”

Officers identified “Lean Xan Man” as 32-year-old Brown from Guildford in Surrey.

“Brown was running a huge operation from his bedroom in Surrey, which had tragic consequences,” said Detective Constable Dan Harper from Cambridgeshire Police, who investigated the case.

“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. This is why it continues to be a priority for police in Cambridgeshire,” he said.

The Huntingdon Law Courts, where he was sentenced last week, heard that Brown described himself as a “pharmacist” selling a variety of prescription-only drugs through Instagram and Snapchat.

He was arrested in July 2021 and a search of his home uncovered drugs, more than GBP 15,000 in cash and sticky labels with his “business logo”.

Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of banned and controlled substances – supply of Class A drugs, two counts in the supply of Class C, one count in the supply of Class B, possession of Class A and possession with intent to supply Class C.

According to the police, the judge presiding over the case described Brown’s drug dealing business as “substantial, sophisticated and lucrative.”

He said through greed he had “profited from the vulnerabilities of others dependent on prescription medication for conditions such as anxiety.”