Gang ‘used Devil’s breath’ in thefts
A group of Chinese people are suspected of getting victims to sniff notorious drug that cuts their willpower
TWO Chinese women are suspected of robbing elderly people in Paris after getting them to sniff a substance thought to be similar to a notorious drug known as ‘Devil’s breath’.
Le Parisien reports that investigators think the women have preyed on dozens of victims of Asian origin and that a male suspect, thought to have prepared the drug, has also been questioned by police.
The women, aged 42 and 59, were reportedly arrested near the Goncourt metro station, in the 10th arrondissement, after having been identified by someone close to one of the alleged victims.
Le Parisien says they denied the allegations, one saying she was just asking people for directions and the other saying she had been talking to passers-by about the weather. However, a search of the women’s hotel room revealed material used in the preparation of drugs.
A police source said Chinese authorities have told French police that the three people belong to a well-known criminal group from China, which is active worldwide, specialised in depriving people of their willpower using drugs and then stealing their valuables.
Paris police are said to have been dealing with dozens of similar complaints dating back to this spring and relating to incidents in an area from Belleville to the Goncourt metro.
The source told Le Parisien: “The victims are often elderly and are accosted in the street by a first woman who pretends to be looking for a mysterious Dr Wang, and who is then joined by her accomplice. They isolate the victim and then get them to smell a mixture of plants supposed to have curative properties and to protect against bad luck.”
The source said the victim is then made to take the gang to their home and hand over money and jewellery. One Paris victim is said to have given them valuables worth €100,000 and it is thought loot worth millions has been sent back to China.
Investigators reportedly think the substance may contain or be similar to a drug called scopolamine, or ‘Devil’s breath’, which is made from plants such as datura (pictured) and brugmansia.
Photo: Nova
