Police throughout the country, particularly in Florida, have been noticing a spike in the use of a new drug that users are calling “flakka.” Use of the drug is a concern as well as are the crimes that people under the influence are committing.
For example, a Florida man began hallucinating while under the influence of flakka and thought someone was going to kill him, according to news reports. As a result of his paranoia, he attacked an 86-year-old woman and killed her. The suspect is now facing second-degree murder charges. In another case, a Fort Lauderdale man tried to kick in the door of the police station because he thought he was being chased by an automobile seeking to do him harm.
What is Flakka?
Flakka, sometimes referred to as “gravel,” is an off-white powdery substance. It is similar to other drugs often marketed as bath salts, like MDPV and mephedrone. Flakka’s chemical name is alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (alpha-PVP). Currently, alpha-PVP is almost entirely manufactured in China, India, and Pakistan and shipped to the U.S. where dealers repackage it into gram quantities for sale. There have been some reports of drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and sometimes heroin being adulterated (cut) with flakka.
[Related Article: Impacts of Synthetic Drugs Like Spice and Bath Salts on Officer Safety]
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