Its hard to believe that one of the world’s most dangerous drugs comes from a beautiful tree. The tree’s beauty camouflages its ability to kill. The Borrachero (drunken binge) is one of South America’s most beautiful trees. The Borrachero can be found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. The tree has beautiful white flowers and fruit that look like miniature coconuts. Within the seeds of the Borrachero’s fruit is the main ingredient to make one of the worlds most deadliest drug, scopolamine. The street name in South America for this drug is Burundanga also known as “The Devil’s Breath”.
Our journey starts in Colombia the cocaine capital of the world. 1 in every 3 kidnappings in the world happens in Colombia. From all the homicides, drug trafficking, and kidnaping everyone in Colombia is more afraid of falling under the spell of the Borrachero Tree. When under the influence of scopolamine you are awake and articulate, but have completely lost control of your own actions. “scopolamine is a drug like no other. Nothing can compare to it. Someone can be walking beside you, and blow a small amount of white powder in your face. causing you to be completely drugged losing all free will. You wait a couple of seconds for the drug to kick in. Then you can guide them wherever you want. It’s like there a child. You can tell them to take you to their house and give you whatever you want sex money whatever. The great thing for a criminal about this drug is the victim will have no recollection of what happened” Said Demencia Black, one of Colombia’s notorious drug dealers.
One gram of scopolamine is like 1 gram of cocaine. Scopolamine has the same density, weight and look as cocaine, but with 1 gram of scopolamine you can kill up to 10-15 people. Thats why it’s so extremely delicate. The powder is extracted from the Caco Savanero fruit which is grown on the Borrachero. People also use the root from this tree to make tea which gives a psychedelic high similar to LSD. The seeds from the Caco Savanero have to be treated chemically. They grind it, bleach it, and heat it much like the process of making cocaine. This drug is not used recreationally it is distinctly used as a criminal element. You can usually by this drug of the street for 40-50 pesos. That would be around $3.94 in American dollars. Scopolamine is the transmitter of all poisons.
From the medical point of view scopolamine is the perfect substance for criminals. The victim won’t remember anything, and therefore can’t report the crime. Their memory is completely gone of the act. When the drug wears off the victim tries to recollect the event, but they don’t realize that they themselves collaborated in the crime. This type of reaction is the property of the drug thought to be exploited causing the ability to hypnotize the victim. Scopolamine is also used in America as a medical drug. Scopolamine is used as adjunct anesthetic in trauma surgery. Light anesthesia is required to keep the patient hemodynamically stable, and this increases risk of awareness. Scopolamine decreases awareness and recall. In very low doses it is also used for nausea and vomiting from post-operative surgery.
Scopolamine is by no means a modern revelation. The Aztecs in Colombia used this drug to lure women to their death. When a chief of died all his assorted females were required by tradition to die with him. They used scopolamine on the women to lure them to the grave then buried them alive. In the 1930’s Joseph Mengal had the drug imported from Colombia to Germany to use in some of his criminal interrogations. More recently the CIA tried to use the drug in the 60’s a sort of truth serum. The only problem with this is it also demonstrated some hallucinogenic effects.
“ I was on my way to catch the bus. A man stopped me and asked for directions. He asked me if i knew the address and showed me a piece of paper. I think thats when he drugged me. You just have to smell a small amount then they have complete control over you. Its not like you’re drugged at all. You can walk and talk normally, but with no recollection of what is going on. You lose your will power and the ability to say “hey somethings wrong here” I was taken to my house. I grabbed a few things then ransacked the entire house. I knew my boyfriend had some savings put up in an envelope. Unfortunately, I found it. The envelope was full of dollars and euros. This was money he had been saving for a long time. He was also a photographer so I gave away his cameras too. I gave them as much of our stuff as they wanted. When I had realized what had happened I began to cry and went straight to the police. I was screaming in panic. Fortunately, I only received a small dose, and they only took material things. Its painful to lose money and all your things,but i was actually quite lucky. If they had been worse people I might have been raped.”Said Carolina, a scopolamine victim.
Just like the beauty from the flower of the Borrachero tree so are the women who use scopolamine on men. When men go out to nightclubs or brothels they start drinking and the beautiful women of Colombia drop the deadly drug in their liquor. The women will then take them to their banks or ATM, and make them take all their money out. This crime is organized by gangs. Men allow themselves to be fooled by the beauty of these women, and fall under the deadly spell of scopolamine.
“When we need money, and see a guy walk in with it we give him scopolamine. We sit him down and start touching him,or we swipe his nose with scopolamine. Just as we use it to rob men they use it to rape us. Everything about scopolamine has to do with hurting people. You can kill a person in 5-20 minutes without realizing it. I remember the first time I ever used scopolamine. I knocked on an old lady’s door. She opened a window for me. I told her we were looking for food. She said she had some leftovers she could give us. I don’t know what came over me, but I just took the paper and swiped the lady’s nose with it. She had a heart attack and fell to the ground. I was scared, but just like that we took everything she had. Then walked out the door. From then on I used it with my clients in the room or while drinking with them. There is a way to do anything in this world. I give it to them rob them then take off. You can learn how to do anything on the streets. I have been doing this since I was 15 I am 21 now. If I had to write down everyone I had given scopolamine to it would be impossible. You just think about hurting others because you have already been hurt. You think my life is useless I’ll just do whatever I want. I never imagined having a life like this. I can’t believe I did all these bad things, and I am still here completely relaxed “ Said Jessica Maria, a prostitute.
Colombia is one of the most beautiful places in the world with its luscious rainforest to the exotic animals, but just like the Borrachero tree fools people with its beauty so does Colombia. Scopolamine has hurt so many innocent people and as long as the devil keeps breathing it will continue. 
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