The Devil's Breath

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“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”- Albert Einstein  

Do you get the feeling that evil is always lurking; finding creative ways to attack hardworking people who are only trying to make ends meet?  Many of you would have seen the video on social media recently in which a Jamaican teacher was left disoriented after a stranger; a male approached her about a mosquito he killed on her person. According to the news the teacher had just left the supermarket when this man approached her and started a conversation. The incident took place in Lucea, in the parish of Hanover on the night of Saturday, February 15, 2020. According to the teacher she was slapped on her shoulder by a stranger, under the guise that he was killing a mosquito, however, the police have theorized that she might have been a victim of the popular South American drug the Devil’s Breath.  In recounting the incident, the educator said that about 7:30 p.m. she went to a supermarket and purchased two items. As she exited the supermarket, she felt someone slap her on her bare shoulder and remarked, "What a big mosquito." She turned to see a man standing behind her. She said he tried to engage her in a conversation but she turned and walked away.  "By the time I reached my car, a mere seconds later, my entire body started going numb and I started feeling as though I was going to pass out ... I became frightened and try my best to cry out for help ... I even felt myself stumbling.

What is the Devil’s Breath?
The drug is odorless and tasteless and is derived from a particular type of tree common to South America. In Colombia, scopolamine is called “the Devil’s Breath” Scopolamine is made from the Borrachero tree, which is commonly found in Colombia. A rough translation of “Borrachero” is “drunken binge”. When an extracted powder from the tree is consumed, inhale, or absorbed through the skin, the results have been referred to as “temporary zombification”:

  • Docility
  • Lack of free will
  • Memory loss
  • Powerful, unpleasant hallucinations
  • Unconsciousness lasting up to 24 hours
  • At high doses, Death

Devil’s Breath as a Facilitator of Crime
According to online sources, the Devil’s Breath is being used to commit crimes such as robberies, kidnappings and sexual assaults. In Colombia, there are up to 50,000 scopolamine-related criminal assaults every year.  Twenty per cent (20%) of ER visits in Bogotá are because of scopolamine poisoning. Seventy per cent (70%) of scopolamine patients have also been robbed. In 2012, the US Department of State, as well as the Government of Canada, issued advisory warning travelers about the possibility of targeting. Criminals using Devil’s Breath often use attractive, young women to target men that they believe are wealthy. This is not confined to just Columbia. In 2015, three people were arrested in Paris for using the drug to rob elderly people, by blowing scopolamine powder in their faces and then taking advantage of their weakened mental condition. The Devil’s Breath is so powerful it renders a person completely powerless.  Scopolamine is a powerful drug derived from plants that affects the frontal lobe of the brain.  It is extremely easy to drug a person with scopolamine; intoxication can occur if the drug is blown toward your face in powdered form.  Scopolamine makes those affected by it completely powerless and devoid of their ability to make decisions. People under the influence of scopolamine are robbed, sexually assaulted, and beaten.  It makes very little sense to ask how this drug reached our shores. This powerful drug is here and is being used for sinister and criminal purposes.  We live in dangerous times and as such we cannot let our guards down not even for a minute. It is our responsibility to be mindful of our surroundings in order to safeguard our personal safety. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love.
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
#devilsbreath

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