Flakka is very dangerous. The body can produce no more norepinephrine and dopamine, causing the user to go into a delirium. Toxicologist Jan Tytgat (Leuven University) points out the consequences of using flakka: “The drug is really dangerous and can lead to paranoid behaviour, hallucinations and even extreme behaviour. There have even been cases of users jumping off a balcony without any hesitation”.
As a result the drug has picked up the name “zombie drug”. “That refers to the fact that users no longer behave like ordinary humans: their movements become uncontrollable, as muscle fibres begin to dissolve in the bloodstream. Flakka is also extremely addictive. The brain keeps on asking users for a new shot,” explains Tytgat.
The problems with flakka started to become noticeable in West Flanders last year. The drug is being peddled in the town of Roeselare and several other localities. Officially, flakka is a designer drug called alpha-PHP. Last year police in Woumen (West Flanders) had to overpower a man who was half-naked and completely out of control. In September, a 32-year-old man killed a cyclist in Diksmuide; he was under the influence of the zombie drug.
“The use of flakka started a year and a half ago in Roeselare,” explains Jan Theuwen, the director of Kompas, a centre in Roeselare that helps people with drug problems. “We thought at that time that it might only be a local and temporary problem, but that turned out to be wrong: the use has expanded to the Westhoek District, more specifically to Ieper and Diksmuide, but also to the Kortrijk region. There are hardly any known users in Bruges or Ostend, practically none in the other provinces. It is quite remarkable.”
It started in Roeselare
Jan Theuwen has an explanation for why the flakka epidemic started in the market town of Roeselare: “It was due to a number of ‘psychonauts’. These are young people who like to experiment with new designer drugs. These are drugs that are chemically manipulated and not immediately illegal. They buy their products over the internet. Flakka has been known for a decade, but mostly in America. A number of young people now promoted flakka in Roeselare and as a result the traditional dealers also jumped on bandwagon. That set the ball rolling during the past eighteen months. The dealers have been building a customer base and their customers are in Diksmuide, Ieper and Kortrijk.”
Incredibly addictive
The public prosecutor has also seen the number of flakka dealers increase in West Flanders. That is why the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office has now decided to take decisive action.
The new approach was evident in court in Veurne on Wednesday. A 47-year-old dealer from Diksmuide and his 42-year-old accomplice from Houthulst received 38-month and 18-month prison sentences respectively for dealing flakka.
“We pointed to the serious dangers associated with use of this drug. Flakka is highly addictive. There are users who cannot live without it after just trying it once,” the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office explains.
