‘The Scopolamine Queen of Lleras Park’ was apprehended in the El Poblado neighborhood (in the southeast of Medellín), in an operation coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, the Metropolitan Police of the Aburrá Valley, and the Attorney General’s Office.

According to investigations, the woman exploited her physical attributes to gain people’s trust and then committed the crimes using scopolamine.

“The capture of this criminal represents a decisive blow to the structures that disrupt the peace of Medellín’s residents and visitors. It’s not just about protecting their belongings, but also ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone in our city,” said Manuel Villa Mejía, Secretary of Security and Coexistence, in the press release.

This woman allegedly selected her victims with care, targeting primarily tourists. She operated in hotels and rental spaces offered through digital platforms, which provided an advantageous setting for her crimes.

Her income from these illegal activities was estimated to range between $100,000 USD and $200,000 USD, with each theft representing between $20,000 USD and $40,000 USD taken from the victims.

At the time of her arrest, authorities discovered that the woman was serving a house arrest sentence for a 2022 conviction and had an active sentence of 110 months for crimes including qualified and aggravated theft, illegal possession of weapons, and exploiting minors in criminal activities.

“The investigation does not stop here. We continue working closely with judicial and police authorities to identify and arrest other individuals involved in these incidents. We will not allow such criminal networks to operate in Medellín. Ensuring the city’s security and maintaining the trust of visitors are top priorities for this administration,” added Villa Mejía.

The gang operated taxi services in La Macarena and Cerro de Montserrate in Colombia’s capital, areas frequented by foreign tourists. La Macarena is a historic neighborhood with many bohemian restaurants and nightlife options. El Cerro de Montserrat, or “Montserrat Hill” is a convent and tourist destination on a high bluff overlooking Bogotá. When tourists paid with credit or debit cards, the gang used electronic devices (skimmers) to steal their bank card information and then proceeded to empty the tourist’s bank accounts.

Gang members were captured with the help of ATM security cameras in Bogotá’s south side. All pled not guilty at their initial court hearings. Victims included Europeans, North Americans, Asians, and Mexicans.

At least 34 crimes were committed according to the Attorney General’s office, between November 2018 and April 2019, and the criminals were able to harvest over $500 million pesos in ill-gotten gains ($148,000 USD). Prosecutors say the culprits were captured with the criminal equipment enabling the crimes in their possession.

Those captured were:

1. Jhonatan Camilo Parra Garzón, alias Chatarra (Junk)
2. Santiago Vargas Pineda, alias Calvo (Bald)
3. Cristian Camilo Martínez Arbeláez, alias Gordo (Fat)
4. Cristian David González, alias Negro (Black)
5. Bernardo Martínez Arredondo, alias Pato (Duck)
6. Camilo Llanos Peña, alias Cachetes (Cheeks)
7. Luis Fernando Jaramillo, alias Cuñado (Brother in law)