A dangerous opiate which eats away at people's flesh has made its way onto the streets of Britain.
Desomorphine, the street name of which is 'krokodil', was branded 'the world's deadliest drug' by Time magazine back in 2013.
Originating in Russia, it serves as a cheap alternative to heroin, although at around 10 times the strength of the infamous drug, it can cause skin to rot and become scaly, much like that of a crocodile - hence the name.
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According to Gloucester Live, a woman in her 40s was unable to appear at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court earlier this year as a result of abusing the lethal drug.
The court was told the defendant was being treated at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for 'horrific' open sores.
Gloucestershire police told the paper that due to 'operational reasons' they couldn't confirm whether there have been any seizures of krokodil, or criminal offences involving the drug in the county this year.
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A spokesperson for the police said: "We currently have no information to suggest any significant issue with krokodil on the streets of Gloucestershire."
After authorities cracked down on heroin suppliers in Russia, addicts had to make their own homemade version. Krokodil is made from over-the-counter drugs - including headache tablets such as codeine - and cooked.
It can also be mixed with paint thinner, red phosphorous, and lighter fluid - unsurprisingly given this list of potential ingredients, the physical effects are truly horrific.
The skin rots around where it's injected - so it looks like it's a flesh eating virus, reminiscent of motionless Dawn of The Dead style zombies.
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Speaking to the Metro, Russian narcotics expert Sergey Agakalov said: "A person becomes a zombie with their body rotting, the rancid smell of which is detected a few steps away."
Once a person starts injecting themselves with the toxic substance, it sets them off on the road to death that little bit quicker than originally expected - a person's life expectancy cuts to just two years after you start using.
According to a study by Grund JP, Latypov A, and Harris M, in 2012 there were around 100,000 people were dependent on the DIY drug - though they suggested the actual figure could be much higher.
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More recent predictions from the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse have put the number of addicts in Russia at around one million, and say the country's government has begun banning sites that explain how to make the substance, to try and tackle the problem.
Last year photographer Emanuele Satolli made three visits to Yekaterinburg, the fourth largest city in Russia, to show what life was really like for addicts in Eastern Europe.
On his third trip, Satolli only found three survivors of the drug.
Grim stuff. I probably don't need to tell you at this stage, but still - avoid.
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