A 16-year-old boy has admitted trying to buy a biological toxin that is 30 times more deadly than ricin from undercover police on the 'dark web'.

The teenager from Mossley, Greater Manchester, who cannot be named for legal reasons, wanted to obtain abrin online.

He was caught after an investigation was launched by the North West counter-terrorism unit in January.

The dark web is used as a way of sharing information and trading goods online without being found by traditional search engines

Today he pleaded guilty to trying to buy the toxin at Manchester Youth Court.

He will be sentenced later this month for the offence, which is contrary to the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 and Section 1 of the Biological Weapons Act 1974.

THE DARK WEB: WEBSITES THAT DON'T SHOW UP ON SEARCH ENGINES The dark web is a subsection of the deep web - the part of the internet that does not show up in searches or on social media. Most of the information on the web is far down on dynamically generated sites, unable to be found or seen by traditional search engines. The dark web is used as a way of sharing information and trading goods, but the anonymous and encrypted nature of it has attracted large amounts of illegal activity. The Silk Road website, and its successor that were recently shut down, was used to sell drugs in exchange for Bitcoins. Other dark net sites let users share pornographic photographs, hacked information and credit card numbers. Advertisement

The investigation came after information was passed to law enforcement officers who were covertly in communication with the 16-year-old, who had expressed an interest in acquiring the poison on the dark web.

The dark web is a subsection of the net - the part of the internet that does not show up in searches or on social media.

It is used as a way of sharing information and trading goods, but the anonymous and encrypted nature of it has attracted large amounts of illegal activity.

During the online chats, the teenager showed awareness of the drug's toxicity and the potential for it to be used to cause considerable harm, police said.

On February 6, the youth attempted to place an order and also suggested he wanted to make future purchases in larger quantities.

Ten days later, warrants were executed at two addresses in the Mossley area of Greater Manchester and the teenager was arrested.

A 16-year-old girl was also arrested as part of the investigation but later released without charge.

Kuntal Patel, left, who became the first person to be prosecuted under the Biological Weapons Act after she tried to poison her mother Meena, by obtaining a substance on the 'dark web'

Last year, a graphic designer who was inspired by Breaking Bad to fantasise about poisoning her mother after she forbade her from marrying the man became the first person to be prosecuted under the Biological Weapons Act.

Kuntal Patel, from Stratford, east London, had wished her 'selfish and controlling' mother Meena Patel dead after the 61-year-old was 'hell-bent' on breaking up her engagement, a court was told.