Irish holidaymaker, 27, claims he was sprayed with ‘the world’s scariest drug’ – dubbed Devil’s Breath – that turned him into a ‘cooperative zombie’ before he was robbed by woman in Tenerife
- David Nelson, from Bray in County Wicklow, was attacked on holiday in Tenerife
- Scopolamine wipes memory and turns victim into zombie willing to do anything
- Engineer, 27, had phone, watch and bracelet taken before she took him to ATM
An Irish holidaymaker was sprayed with the ‘world’s scariest drug’, turning him into a zombie who was willing to do whatever his attacker wanted, before being robbed.
David Nelson, from Bray in County Wicklow, was on holiday in Tenerife when he was dosed with Scopolamine, which is known as the Devil’s Breath.
Scopolamine, which also wipes the victim’s memory, can affect you simply from being sprayed into your face.
The engineer, 27, was on a night out when he lost his friends and a woman, described as being between 20 and 30 with curly hair, tried to seduce him, reports the Irish Independent.
David Nelson, from Bray in County Wicklow, was on holiday in Tenerife when he was dosed with Scopolamine, which is known as the Devil’s Breath (file photo)
He told the Irish Independent: ‘I remember very few things after being sprayed. My phone was taken, gold watch, bracelet, €600 from my wallet and I was then taken to a ATM and the girl proceeded to take what money she could from my Irish and Swiss bank accounts until the cards declined.’
Mr Nelson added: ‘I had never heard of this drug before as I’m sure many others haven’t either. Even on the first night of my trip a man pursued me and was very persistent that me and my friend smell the weed that he was trying to sell.
‘It wasn’t until after what happened on me that I realise he may have been getting me to try inhale the smell that comes from Devil’s Breath.’
Scopolamine is made from Borrachero trees in Colombia and is used throughout the country to aid sexual predators and robbers.
The odourless powder is blown into people’s faces, which once inhaled can cause victims to lose their memory, free will, and in high enough doses, can even kill.
Scopolamine, which is made from Borrachero trees in Colombia, can cause victims to lose their memory, free will, and in high enough doses, can even kill (file photo)
The drug, also referred to as Burundanga in its native Colombia, is almost impossible to detect, as it disappears from the blood stream in two to six hours and can only be found in urine samples within 12.
This makes it extremely difficult for victims to prove they have been given it – as they don’t remember anything and it’s untraceable in their system.
According to the National Institute for Health and Clinic Excellence (NICE), small doses of the drug are used to treat nausea and more serious conditions like Cerebral palsy and Alzheimer’s.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) warns UK tourists in Colombia and Ecuador of ‘criminals who use scopolamine to subdue their victims’, but there is no such warning for visitors to Tenerife.
The Soviets and the CIA reportedly used it as a truth serum during the Cold War, while Auschwitz ‘Angel of Death’ Joseph Mengeles is said to have had it imported from South America for personal use.