Five Chinese nationals have landed themselves in a whole world of trouble, after being arrested in Paris for allegedly using scopolamine to drug-up and rob unsuspecting people.
The group was detained last Friday at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport and found to be in possession of EUR75,000 and USD16,500, as well as a thermos crammed full of presumably expensive jewelry of an undetermined value. Police had the gang under surveillance for several days and the arrests took place just before they were to board a flight to China’s Guangdong province, according to The Telegraph.
This was strangely not the first group of Chinese nationals to be arrested in Paris in the past month for using a mind-altering drug on unsuspecting victims. It was only a few weeks ago that two Chinese women and a man were arrested and charged with using a comparable substance on people in central Paris.
Police claim the five-person gang was stealing from victims under the influence of scopolamine, an infamous drug more commonly known as "the devil’s breath.” Notorious for its ability to turn aware and cautious individuals into walking zombies, the drug is highly dangerous and can be lethal in heavy doses.
According to a Vice documentary about the drug, scopolamine was tested by both the Soviets and the CIA for potential use as a truth serum but was ineffective due to the powerful hallucinations also created by the substance. The stories surrounding “the devil’s breath” are the stuff of urban legend and include allegations of rape, stealing, forced smuggling and even organ theft. The drug is most commonly associated with Colombia.
“From a medical point of view, it’s the perfect substance to commit criminal acts because the victim won’t remember anything, and therefore won’t report anything,” Miriam Gutiérrez, a toxicology expert in Bogota, Colombia, told Vice News.
When questioned by authorities, all five suspects denied using the infamous drug and insisted they were simply Chinese tourists who were asking for directions (when witnessed engaging with the victims). According to The Telegraph report, the victims are predominantly older folk and assert a young Chinese woman, claiming to be lost, approached them and they then fell into a “dreamlike state” and handed over their belongings.
The suspects are now the subjects of a “fraud in an organized gang” investigation. Reports have suggested the accused are members of a Triad-esque criminal organization.
RELATED: Taiwanese gang arrested in Australia after drugs worth $164m found in kayaks
[Cover image via Youtube screenshot]
0 User Comments