DEA: Russian street drug with 'horrifying' effects may be in Utah


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SALT LAKE CITY — A deadly street drug that originates in Russia has made its way to the United States — and possibly even Utah.

The drug is known as Krokodil. It earned its name due to the gruesome affects the drug has on the skin of the user. It basically burns you from the inside out, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

A user believes he or she is getting heroin, but instead, they'll get a codeine pill cooked with harmful substances like gasoline and paint thinner. The harmful effects are quick and often deadly.

"We're seeing people with open sores, losing limbs," said Sue Thomas, an agent with the DEA.

Though agents are used to identifying a variety of illegal drugs, Thomas said this drug is on an entirely new level.

"Do you want to jump off the 10th floor or the 3rd floor?" she said. "You take this Krokodil stuff, you're jumping off the 10th floor."

One need not go further than the internet to witness the horrifying effects of the drug. Pictures are gruesome — like something out of a scary movie.

"This one is more alarming because it's injected and the chemicals that are involved that destroy tissue," said Barbara Insley Crouch with the Utah Poison Control Center.

But has Krokodil made its way to Utah? And how can we know?


"I will throw every resource available at it to stop this scourge." Frank Smith, DEA agent

"While we can't confirm it here, it certainly seems to mimic the same signs and symptoms," Thomas said.

Two people have been hospitalized in the past week who have exhibited symptoms that led doctors to believe they had used the drug.

However, there's still no solid proof.

"The reality is we have no laboratory test to test for this," said Crouch. "All these emerging drugs are ahead of our testing capabilities."

Frank Smith, Utah DEA special agent in charge, said he believes the drug is here. And as soon as the DEA finds proof of Krododil being pushed in the state, he'll take quick and firm action.

"I will throw every resource available at it to stop this scourge," he said.

The DEA will send bulletins to emergency rooms throughout the state, warning physicians of just how nasty the effects of the drug can be and asking them to watch for symptoms in patients.

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Ashley Kewish

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