Paris police have seized two Chinese women and a man on suspicion of using a powerful Colombian drug known as ?the devil?s breath? to turn people into ?zombies? devoid of free will and rob them.
The women, 42 and 59, allegedly approached strangers in the 20th arrondissement and blew a substance into their faces to put them into a ?hypnotic state.?
They took their victims home and asked them to hand over their jewellery and money. One Parisian lost ?100,000 (about $150,000) in valuables and cash in this way, police said.
The substance allegedly used by the gang is thought to contain scopolamine, a hazardous drug extracted from a South American tree related to deadly nightshade. The Soviets and the CIA reportedly used it as a truth serum during the Cold War. The drug?s chemical make-up induces powerful hallucinations and in strong doses it is lethal.
The women, 42 and 59, allegedly approached strangers in the 20th arrondissement and blew a substance into their faces to put them into a ?hypnotic state.?
They took their victims home and asked them to hand over their jewellery and money. One Parisian lost ?100,000 (about $150,000) in valuables and cash in this way, police said.
The substance allegedly used by the gang is thought to contain scopolamine, a hazardous drug extracted from a South American tree related to deadly nightshade. The Soviets and the CIA reportedly used it as a truth serum during the Cold War. The drug?s chemical make-up induces powerful hallucinations and in strong doses it is lethal.