Two passengers on a cruise from Miami to the UK were found to be carrying over 100 bags of marijuana, a Department of Homeland Security affidavit says.
US tourists to Colombia warned about dating apps after 8 suspicious deaths in 2 months
14.01.2024 - 13:25 / insider.com
The US embassy in Bogotá has issued a security alert warning of the risks of using online dating sites in Colombia after eight Americans died under suspicious circumstances in the city of Medellín between November 1 and December 31, 2023.
One of the victims was reportedly Tou Ger Xiong, an Asian-American comedian and activist living in Minnesota, per the BBC.
The 50-year-old was kidnapped and killed while on vacation in Colombia at the end of November after he went on a date with a woman he had met online.
"Often the gangs employ beautiful women with alluring features to lure in men," said Andrés Nieto, a crime and security expert in Bogotá, per The Guardian.
The embassy believes the deaths involved involuntary drugging overdoses or suspected homicides.
Several of the victims had been using online dating apps, prompting authorities to warn of the risk of meeting strangers online.
Colombian gangs have been known to use scopolamine, a drug derived from nightshade plants, to render their victims helpless before robbing them, the Guardian reports.
The US embassy describes a pattern where criminals exploit dating apps to lure victims to hotels, restaurants, and bars, where the odorless drug can be easily slipped into a drink. The effects of scopolamine can last for 24 hours and leave the victim with little memory of what happened.
Many of these crimes go unreported due to the embarrassment of some of the victims and reluctance to engage in legal proceedings, said the US embassy.
Statistics from the Tourism Observatory of the District Personnel of Medellín indicate a 200% increase in thefts against foreign visitors (excluding Venezuelans) and a 29% rise in violent deaths of foreign visitors during the third trimester of 2023 compared to the previous year.
Most of the violent death victims were US citizens, said the US embassy.
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
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