Jul 04, 2025 12:30:00

A drug known as 'Devil's Breath,' which is also used to treat motion sickness, is being exploited by criminals to turn people into zombies and commit robbery and sexual assault.

Scopolamine , a tropane alkaloid found in plants of the nightshade family, is a common motion sickness medication because it reduces tension in the digestive tract and prevents nausea. However, scopolamine also has the effect of turning targets into zombie-like beings, and is used by robbers and sexual assaulters, so it is also known as the 'devil's breath.'

Motion sickness drug linked to cases of robbery and assault – here's what you need to know about 'devil's breath'
https://theconversation.com/motion-sickness-drug-linked-to-cases-of-robbery-and-assault-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-devils-breath-259720

Scopolamine, which can be extracted mainly from plants of the nightshade family, has a strong psychoactive effect and has been used by indigenous peoples of South America in traditional ceremonies since ancient times. In modern medicine, it is mainly used as 'scopolamine hydrobromide hydrate' to prevent motion sickness, nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms, etc., and is also prescribed to suppress saliva secretion before surgery.

Scopolamine's main effect is its anticholinergic effect , which blocks acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in memory, learning, and coordination, and suppresses the parasympathetic nervous system , blocking signals from the balance system to the brain and reducing nausea.

Scopolamine is a common drug, but it can have serious side effects, especially when used in high doses or outside of clinical settings. Its misuse by criminals has become a problem, especially in South America, and in recent years there have been reports of its misuse in Europe, including in France and the UK.

The main reason scopolamine is used for criminal purposes is because of its anticholinergic effect, which also suppresses nausea. Acetylcholine plays an important role in memory formation and recall, but taking high doses of scopolamine excessively inhibits acetylcholine, causing temporary memory loss, which is convenient for criminals.

Scopolamine also causes victims to feel as if they are in a dream, become obedient to the perpetrator's instructions, and have difficulty resisting or remembering events. This effect of depriving victims of their sense of autonomy and memory is called 'zombification,' and scopolamine is used by many criminals for its intended purpose.

Scopolamine has been used in countless robberies and sexual assaults, especially in Colombia and South America, and in 2015,

three men were arrested in Paris for using scopolamine in a robbery, while a man was killed in the UK in 2019 after being drugged.

Powdered scopolamine is tasteless and odorless, making it easy to mix with a drink or spray in someone's face. Online forums also contain instructions for making scopolamine teas and decoctions from the seeds, roots and flowers of the plant, increasing the risk of misuse.

Scopolamine acts quickly after ingestion and is eliminated from the body in about 12 hours, making it difficult to detect with standard drug tests. Also, for some people, even a dose of less than 10 mg can be fatal, and in some cases robbery aimed at financial gain can escalate into murder.

'Signs of scopolamine poisoning include rapid heart rate or palpitations, dry mouth, flushed skin, blurred vision, confusion, disorientation, hallucinations and drowsiness. If you experience any of these symptoms, especially after unexpected exposure to alcohol or alcohol, seek medical attention immediately,' said Dipa Kamdar, senior lecturer in pharmaceutical practice at Kingston University in the UK.