Craig Jones was drugged in Colombia in an alleged attempt to abduct and rob him.
Craig Jones is currently in Colombia, where he fell victim to an increasingly common and dangerous crime that targets foreign tourists in the South American country.
Jones posted security footage of himself barely conscious and struggling to stand, stating that his Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) co-founder, Seth Belisle, “rescued me after being drugged in Colombia.”
According to the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) star, they were on a night out when their drinks were spiked with a strong sedative in an alleged attempt to abduct and rob them.
Craig Jones drugged with scopolamine in Colombia
“What actually happened to me, is that I was given, “The Devil’s breath,” scopolamine. It’s made out of some kind of random f—ng tree out here in Colombia,” Jones said on his Instagram stories, explaining more details on the security footage he earlier posted.
“What’s strange about all that, you can still remember all the details, in terms of your pin numbers and s—t like that. I couldn’t walk, but I still remembered the seven digit entry code to my f—ng AirBnb, which is why you lose so much money,” Jones explained.
“They snuck it into our margaritas. I saw my friend Seth (Belisle), 5-foot-1 about 100 pounds, with a full strength alcoholic beverage, so I snatched it out of his hands and drank both of them for us. Little did I know, I’d be taking both hits of scopolamine.”
Jones says he still feels some side effects from the drug, but fortunately Belisle was able to get him back to their accommodations without anything worse happening.
“It f—ed me up for a while, still have a fair bit of memory loss. My brain has obviously not been optimal for years, but it’s sub optimal now, so be careful out here in Medellin,” Jones said.
U.S. Embassy issued warning on citizens being drugged, killed in Colombia
Jones seems fortunate enough to not have experienced worse, as what he described has been an increasingly common crime in the Colombia. According to BBC, more than 30 foreign tourists were killed in Medellin after being drugged and robbed in 2023. In 2024, the number of deaths have reportedly risen to at least 39, with half being Americans.
The U.S. Embassy also previously issued a “security alert” to its citizens, warning that the amount of incidents are largely underreported, and victims are mostly tourists being targeted through dating apps or in bars and nightclubs.
“The Embassy regularly receives reports of these types of incidents occurring in major cities, including Medellin, Cartagena, and Bogota. Some of these incidents have resulted in victims dying or needing serious medical assistance as a result of an overdose from the drugs used to incapacitate the victim.
…
“Historically in Colombia, a drug called scopolamine has been used to carry out these crimes. Also known as Burundanga in Colombia, it is an odorless, tasteless, memory blocking substance used to incapacitate and rob unwary victims. If ingested or exposed, scopolamine can render a victim unconscious up to 24 hours or more. In large doses, it can cause respiratory failure and death. It is most often administered in liquid, spray, or powder form in foods and beverages.”
Jones also issued his own warning after being targeted by the same scheme.
“This is a word of warning to anybody out there playing it easy in Colombia,” Jones said. “You can be 6-foot-6, you can have strong cauliflower ears, you can have a perfect hairline and a beautiful Australian accent, but you too can be a victim of the Devil’s breath.”
The 33-year-old BJJ star last competed in his own event last August, submitting Gabi Garcia in an inter-gender match as part of the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational.
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