Alternately known as the most dangerous drug in the world and the scariest drug in the world, Devil’s Breath is a powerful drug being dealt with on the streets of Colombia, and now in major European cities.

It’s a strong hallucinogenic and an amnesiac. It’s highly addictive and can be deadly. Most importantly, it will only be a matter of time before this drug is making its presence known on the streets of the United States.

Devil’s Breath is usually made into a powder and it comes from the borrachero tree, a common tree in Colombia, which blooms with deceptively beautiful white and yellow flowers. The drug is said to be so powerful that within minutes of administration, people turn into zombie-like creatures. The victims remain coherent but become child-like and have no free will.

Colombian drug gangs are using this drug, and the interesting side effects, as an innovative and lucrative new business, and stories of victims of these drug gangs are becoming urban legends.

People have been raped, robbed, forced to empty bank accounts, and even coerced into giving up an organ while under the drug’s influence. The drug is odorless and tasteless and is especially easy to administer either by inhalation or ingestion. In large doses, the drug can lead to death.

An often-used method of administration is that the drug is blown into the face of a passer-by on the street. Within minutes, the victim is under the drug’s influence and loses all capacity for rational thinking. The victim is turned into a complete mental zombie and the memory process of the brain is blocked.

While under the influence, the victim is easily controlled by suggestions and verbal commands to perform unspeakable acts. People have even been known to help robbers steal valuables from the victim’s own home or hotel room.

After the drug wears off, victims have no recollection of what happened, what they did under the influence, and cannot even identify the people responsible for administering the drug in the first place.

Interestingly, in ancient times, the drug was administered to the mistresses of dead Colombian leaders. The women were given the drug, told to enter their master’s grave, and they were simply buried alive and forgotten.

As with many botanical substances that are used for illicit purposes, this chemical also has beneficial uses. In fact, the chemical is marketed in the United States under the name scopolamine and hyoscine. Cruise ship travelers might even use this product in the form of a scopolamine patch for seasickness.

I’ve used this drug in an interesting way to subdue characters in my novel Almost Dead. In fact, two of the characters who were presumed dead woke up the next morning and returned home—one from the morgue and another from a funeral home. Here’s the Amazon link if interested. It’s gotten mostly five-star reviews. Almost Dead: Available in eBook and paperback.

Next week’s blog will provide some interesting insights into the legitimate use of scopolamine and highlight some of its more entertaining side effects. But, until then, don’t let anyone blow into your face on the streets of Colombia.

Thoughts? Comments? I’d love to hear them!