Imagine a drug that can transform you into a zombie slave. A machine that loses all free will, is very compliant, but still appears to be alert and coherent. The drug is easily removed from a very common plant. It’s tasteless, odorless, and can be quickly mixed into drinks, food, and cigarettes. This demon drug is called borrachero.
Ask any Colombian resident about borrachero, also known as burundanga. They’re sure to tell you some horror story about the drug. They’ll tell stories of victims who willingly handed over their wallets and PINs, or visit the bank with their captors and withdraw huge amounts of cash. They also take the thieves to their home and casually help them load all their possessions into a truck. Sound scary? That’s because it’s supposed to.
The borrachero is real and dangerous. The active substance is scopolamine and is extracted from the Bugmansia plant, also known as Angel’s Trumpet, which grows wild throughout the Andes. The stories about criminals chemically making people compliant are an urban myth. There’s plenty of mystery surrounding scopolamine and it’s ability to create submission.
Nazi doctor Joseph Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death”, supposedly experimented with the drug as an questioning aid. The CIA had a similar idea and investigated it as a truth serum, but it was unsuccessful.
It’s mentioned in a number of Hollywood movies, including “Where Eagles Dare”, “The Guns of Navarone” and “Robocop 2”. So it’s not surprising that scopolamine pops up in the international press every once in a while. There are stories of politicians forced into smuggling suitcases of cocaine; men who handed over all their money to prostitutes; or the jeweler who gave away all his stock because of a scopolamine-laced business card.
They’re the kind of stories you’d definitely pass on to other travelers to warn someone about the dangers of people who drop drugs in unsuspecting victims drinks. Like all good myths, there’s a large amount of truth in there as well. I think it’s better to know the real deal about scopolamine that way you know how to properly avoid it or what to do if someone’s affected.
The effects of scopolamine are well recognized in the medical community. In small doses it’s used to treat a range of conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, motion sickness, nausea and insomnia. It was even used during childbirth up until the 1960s. In large doses it can make you pretty loopy.
In technical terms, an overdose of scopolamine causes anticholinergic toxidrome are described as blurred vision, dry mucous membranes, fast heartbeat, fever, red dry skin, confusion, hallucinations, amnesia and insanity. In high enough doses, it can also cause seizures and make someone unconscious for a long period of time, otherwise known as a coma.
Medical students learn to recognize the condition with a neat little reminder: Blind as a bat, mad as a hatter, red as a beet, hot as hell, dry as a bone, the bowel and bladder lose their tone, and the heart runs alone.
None of this sounds fun, but it’s not exactly describing the unnoticeably submissive victims of a mind-controlling drug. In fact, people known to be under the influence of scopolamine and taken to a hospital often have to be restrained because of their unpredictable and aggressive behavior.
The drug can be taken swallowed, inhaled, injected, smoked or absorbed through the skin, so there’s a little bit of truth to the rumors. You need to be extremely careful about leaving your drinks unattended. And never accept food, drinks or cigarettes from strangers. If you didn’t buy it yourself, don’t touch it. Once you’ve bought it, don’t let it go.
Again, Im not saying borrachero isn’t a real threat. A scopolamine overdose will leave you very vulnerable and there a plenty of reports of it being used in bars and nightclubs. It’s not a good idea to go out at night by yourself in Colombia. It’s best to have a buddy or some friends to watch your back.
Stories of bizarre and clever ways borrachero has been used are also common in Colombia. There are tales of it being mixed into chocolates, laced through pamphlets and spread into the air as a powder. There are even accounts of women rubbing men’s faces into their scopolamine smeared breasts.
If you are with someone you think may have been drugged, it’s important to get him or her medical attention as soon as possible. But don’t go running off to find an ambulance and leave your friend in the hands of the criminals.
However, the idea of people being laid out after accepting borrachero-laced business cards or pamphlets is a bit far-fetched, although founded in fact. The story is obviously based on scopolamine treatment for motion sickness, which comes in a patch and is absorbed through the skin. But these patches release a little amount of the substance over a very long time, not in one quick hit.
The more likely version of this story involves someone holding up a map or menu dusted with borrachero and blowing the powder in your face. Obviously, this isn’t the most covert of techniques but it could theoretically work.
If you think you’ve been targeted, try and find your friends to let them know. If you’re alone head for a populated area so you’re not as vulnerable. Next priority is a police officer or security guard. One mention of borrachero or burundanga and they’ll understand and you should be able to get them to help you out.
It’s not hard to see why the borrachero myth continues. It’s a very appealing story, for both journalists and average people. The thought of such a powerful, mind-controlling drug holds a dark interest. There’s one other reason too: In the myths borrachero completely eliminates free will and therefore their responsibility, yet it’s supposedly impossible to tell when someone’s affected. It’s the perfect excuse. Not my fault, blame the borrachero! But the myth serves its purpose. The reality of borrachero is just as frightening and, although it’s not as widespread as people believe, the threat is there.