14 DAY TRIAL // Krokodil, the most deadly drug known to man so far, is spreading fast. After several cases were identified in the US, it’s now moving across the border, into Mexico. A 17-year-old young woman is the first case to appear in Puerto Vallarta.
The woman, whose identity has not been made public, went to the hospital with lacerations on her nether parts and, according to José Sotero Ruiz Hernández, spokesperson for the National Institute of Migration, she told the staff that she’d gotten them from injecting Krokodil.
The spokesperson says that the teen’s parts were “rotten,” which could be a clear sign that she’d been injecting the drug right into that area since this is one of its tell-tale side-effects. However, it was her confirmation that made it clear to authorities that the drug which originated in Russia is no longer confined to that country.
“She said she’d been using Krokodil for 2 months. She’s 17 years old. She says they’re selling the drug on street corners, just like they do with cocaine,” the spokesperson said, as cited by local publication Periódico Correo.
“Krokodil has already reached Ciudad de México and we now have proof that it’s in Vallarta as well. It’s a highly addictive and cheap drug that can be used in 3 ways like cocaine, heroin and meth,” noted the same official.
That Krokodil would go across borders was one of the biggest worries authorities had about it. Though it kills about 30,000 people annually in Russia, Krokodil is a favorite because it can be made at home from codeine pills and ordinary ingredients like alcohol, paint thinner, gasoline, bleacher, or oil, or anything else you might have lying around the house.
It’s addictive upon first use, with users having a life expectancy that rarely tops 1 year; most addicts die within 3 years as the body goes in complete decay.
Because of the ingredients used, the first signs that appear include greenish scales on the areas injected (hence the name), which soon flake off. Gangrene soon sets in, and organs start failing from the damage.