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A woman who escaped Duval County jail and claimed to have a history of krokodil use died after turning herself into authorities June 20.
Debra Ercolano was arrested for organized fraud in March. She fled from an organized work program in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 16 because she feared legal repercussions for a potential shoplifting incident, according to authorities.
But Ercolano turned herself in on June 20 around 4:30 p.m. and immediately began complaining about health problems. She was sent to UF Health Jacksonville where she admitted to using heroin. She died around 7 p.m.
Tom Hackney, a director with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, said Ercolano had reported a history of heroin, methamphetamine and krokodil abuse when she was first arrested in March.
“She used heroin during the day, and she also gives history of being a meth user, being a cocaine user and being a heroin user, and also using a drug called krokodil,” Hackney told the Florida Times-Union. “That is fairly nasty stuff, and apparently when she took that, it did its thing and began to work on her.”
Krokodil is the street name for desomoprhine, a man-made opioid derived from morphine. The drug is common among remote populations in Russia where people addicted to opioids turn to the drug after losing access to heroin.
It gained international fame for the significant damage it does to the injection site on the body. The person’s skin turns scaled and rugged, and repeated use results in severe tissue damage, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Officials are unsure if Ercolano’s claim to be using the krokodil is true. If so, it’d be the first sighting in the Jacksonville area, according to media reports. Ercolano’s official cause of death has not been announced.
“It’s a very unfortunate, sad thing,” Hackney said. “It sounds like she had some responsibility in her lack of care for herself. According to her family, she did have a history of some heart issues as well.”
Previous Krokodil Sightings Lack Merit
In 2013, reports of krokodil abuse emerged across the United States. An Arizona drug treatment center claimed to have two patients with a history of krokodil use, and a Colorado police chief said there was an increase in krokodil reports in his district. Other reported sightings occurred in Illinois, Missouri and Ohio.
However, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the issue and found no evidence of krokodil in the country.
“DEA is investigating the matter by acquiring samples alleged to contain desomorphine, interviewing drug abusers, and monitoring intelligence reports,” DEA spokesman Rusty Payne told the IB Times in 2013. “To date, none of our forensic laboratories has analyzed an exhibit found to contain desomorphine. A sample sent to our Chicago forensic laboratory that was suspected to be krokodil was actually heroin.”
Canadian officials also denied any evidence of krokodil appearances when the drug was reported in the country in 2013.
“We checked our sources, and it seems that the reported potential cases in Niagara have been determined to be infections at heroin injection sites,” Marc Paris, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug Free Canada, told the IB Times.
Krokodil is derived from codeine and several household chemicals. It rose in popularity in Russia in the early 2000s when the country began cracking down on heroin abuse. However, codeine is available over the counter in Russia. The primary ingredient isn’t as easily accessible in North America.
“Obviously we are hoping (krokodil) will stay (away),” Paris said. “It seems Canadian addicts aren’t facing the lack of access to heroin that the Russians were which started this whole horrific thing.”
In 2012, researchers at the University Hospital of Ulm investigated claims that krokodil abuse could spill over into Germany. After a systematic review of literature and media reports, the scholars concluded that there was no evidence that krokodil had spread outside of Russian territories.
In April, Jacksonville officials held a press conference to announce drastic increases in heroin abuse in the area. Deaths involving heroin nearly tripled in Duval County between 2014 and 2015, and the number of heroin-related arrests increased 34 percent during the same time frame.
Medical Disclaimer: DrugRehab.com aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.
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Boetsch, L. (2016, June 21). Deadly, flesh-eating drug Krokodil appears on First Coast. Retrieved from http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/deadly-drug-krokodil-appears-on-first-coast/251436983
Moylan, J. (2013, November 12). Heroin-like drug Krokodil appears in Summit Count, say Dillon police. Retrieved from http://www.summitdaily.com/news/8881436-113/dillon-brady-parking-police
Rodriguez, J. (2016, June 20). Inmate who turned herself in after escaping dies at the hospital: Police. Retrieved from http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/crime/escaped-inmate-sought-on-jacksonvilles-westside/246438310
Scanlan, D. (2016, June 21). Homemade drug krokodil in dead Jacksonville inmate’s system is like ‘playing Russian roulette.’ Retrieved from http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2016-06-21/story/homemade-drug-krokodil-dead-jacksonville-inmates-system-playing-russian
Sullum, D. (2013, November 22). DEA Debunks Krokodil Sightings. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsullum/2013/11/22/dea-debunks-krokodil-sightings/#7cb40dfd375e
Osborne, H. (2013, November 21). Russia’s Flesh-Eating Krokodil Drug an Urban Legend in UK, US and Canada. Retrieved from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/krokodil-flesh-eating-drug-spreading-usa-canada-524200
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