Brazil: Man Dies After Making Online Purchase of Nazi Substance

Rodrigo Curci, a thirty-two-year-old Brazilian businessman, was found dead Wednesday in Praia Grande, Sao Paulo after swallowing a dose of potassium cyanide, a substance produced by the Nazis. Curci purchased the worldwide-banned substance online via the website Mercado Livre, according to Pragmatismo Politico.

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The young executive was a director of the Caixa Economica Federal bank, albeit on leave from the state-owned company. Family members said that he exhibited signs of depression and was receiving psychiatric treatment.

A day before his death, Curci's mother received a package. He grabbed the package from her and hid it, according to Pragmatismo Politico. However, upon realizing that the package was addressed to her, he returned it.

It is believed that once Curci received the right package, he mixed the dose of potassium cyanide with fruit juice.

Mercado Livre released a statement lamenting the Curci's death and affirmed that the online company had contacted the authorities responsible for the investigating the case to provide them with the seller's registered data. The company also stated that it's prohibited to sell potassium cyanide on its site.

Potassium cyanide is a highly-toxic chemical composition. During World War II, Nazi soldiers used potassium cyanide to commit suicide before being captured.

High-ranking members of the Third Reich, such as Erwin Rommel, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Goring, committed suicide or were killed with potassium cyanide.

A former Croatian general, Slobodan Praljak, committed suicide by drinking from a vial containing potassium cyanide as judges at The Hague of International Criminal Tribunal read his sentencing on Nov. 29, 2017.