Krocodil is made up by mixing codeine with gasoline or oil and is 10 times cheaper than heroin
The fear is that the use of Krokodil will spread from Russia to the United Kingdom. And if that happens, will the U.S. be next?
HORRIFIC IMPACT OF DEADLY ‘CANNIBAL HEROIN’ ON RUSSIAN ADDICTS WHOSE DESPARATION LEADS TO USE OF DRUG WHICH EATS THEM ALIVE
Continual use of Krocodil leads to blood vessels bursting and eventually causes the skin to rot; 30,000 people die in Russia every year because of the effects of the drug
By Tara Brady
Mail Online
October 13, 2013
It is feared a deadly drug known as 'cannibal heroin' which eats flesh from the inside out is about to hit the UK.
Krokodil, which is like heroin and originated in Russia 10 years ago, turns users into zombies as
their bodies begin to rot leaving addicts with reptilian skin.
But the homemade concoction can be up to 10 times cheaper than heroin and is created by mixing codeine with gasoline or oil.
Within 30 minutes the substance, medically known as desomorphine, is cooked up before it is injected into the user's veins.
But the results are catastrophic.
Continual use of Krokodil, Russian for crocodile, causes blood vessels to burst, leaving skin green and scaly among addicts eventually causing gangrene and their flesh to begin to rot.
In Russia around 30,000 people die from the effects of the drug every year yet it is thought about a quarter of a million people in the country are now hooked on the poison.
Addiction is spreading among young people and even those who manage to quit come away disfigured for life.
Margarita Schelkunova, 28, and her husband became hooked on the drug seven years ago.
Even though Miss Schelkunova is now clean, she has lost her sight and has been diagnosed with cancer and HIV with only weeks to live.
Her husband died at the age of 27.
But Irina Dyadyuchenko, 35, has survived being a Krokodil addict and has now been clean for two years.
She began using heroin at the age of 14 but when her local drug dealers were jailed she turned to Krokodil to get her fix.
Irina, who is the daughter of an engineer and teacher, said when the recipe landed in Russia, she soon realised she could make it herself with one dose costing around £4.
One British doctor believes he may have came across a case in the UK.
Dr Allan Harris, a GP in Gloucester, wrote in an article for The Independent that the man was homeless and in his 30s.
'There was essentially a crater in his arm and you could see the bone and tendons,' he wrote.
'It is hugely addictive and potent and can be cooked up in 30 minutes. It's only a matter of time before we start seeing it in Britain. It is not a case of 'if' but 'when'.
Norman Baker, minister for crime prevention, told The Sun: 'Desomorphine - krokodil - is controlled as a Class A drug in the UK because it is dangerous.
'We are determined to tackle the illicit drug trade which can have such a destructive impact on the lives of so many.'
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