The St. Clair County Drug Task Force is warning the Thumb community of a new drug being seen and seized by law enforcement recently.
Just last week, the agency had its first seizure of Desomorphine, better known on the street as “Krokodil” or “Crocodil.”. Krokodil is a powerful, synthetically engineered opioid-like substance that is approximately 10 times more powerful than morphine.
The drug derives its street name from its effect on long-term abusers’ skin, which may begin looking greenish and scaly, similar to a crocodile’s scaled and rugged skin, due to damaged blood vessels, thrombosis, and damaged soft tissues surrounding injection sites. Injuries can eventually develop into severe tissue damage leading to thrombophlebitis and gangrene, which in turn usually result in limb amputation or sometimes death.
When found on the street, Krokodil is often sold to users instead of heroin due to its cheap cost and powerful potency, similar to fentanyl. The DTF urges users and citizens to be alert and aware that this drug is in our community. It should be noted that due to its synthetic nature, it could be resistant to Naloxone.
