World’s most sick prostitution hotspot where gangs pimp out kids and drug tourists

Underneath the belly of a tropical South American city hold a freighting underworld as criminal gangs take advantage of sex workers and underaged children to mug and kill unsuspecting tourists

A tropical city nestled away in South America has been dubbed one of the most dangerous sex tourism locations on the planet.

In a country where prostitution is legal, Medellín, in Colombia, pulls in millions of male visitors every year as easily accessible drugs has led to it becoming dubbed as “Colombia’s Sin City”. While the city has been dubbed a holiday hotspot among sex tourists in the last three years, more than 80 foreigners have died there in suspicious circumstances.

Authorities have said criminals have begun using dating apps to lure their victims. And crooks have begun to use a chemical weapon against their victims which render them unconscious for whole days called the “Devil’s Breath”.

In 2024, authorities say 39 tourists died in Medellin, half of them US citizens. Almost all of the victims who were men were last seen leaving their hotels to meet women on dates.

A sex worker who spoke under the name Milena told AFP: “Women drive tourism here in Medellin because men come to Colombia to look for women and to get high.” In Colombia prostitution is legal but several high-profile cases of children being exploited by foreigners has forced the local government to enact measures against sex tourism.

Last year after an American citizen, 36, was found by police with two girls, aged 12 and 13, Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez said the city had hit “rock bottom”. Jazmin Santa, a member of an independent organization fighting against the sexual exploitation of minors, has lambasted the state of the city and said paedophiles are “taking advantage to come here and have sex” with children.

Last year the mayor temporarily suspended prostitution in the heart of the city and vowed to curb the criminal gangs responsible for pimping out children. In an interview with the Spanish newspapers Elpais a young lady of night explained how she had been collaborating with local gangs since she was a child.

The sex worker revealed she used scopolamine also known as the “Devil’s Breath” to drug and rob tourists. She explained: “You simply open it, one spray and they’re out cold.”

The Devil’s Breath is white powder resembling cocaine, the drug is infamous for its alleged ability to induce a “zombie-like” state to its victims. Victims to the chemical weapon claims it robs them of their free will leading to them becoming highly submissive.

The alleged effects of the drugs include severe amnesia makes its victims vulnerable to robbery, sexual assault and other crimes. Speaking to the Spanish newspaper, the gang-affiliated sex worker claimed the drug can knock someone out in seconds when dropped in their drink, or used in a spray bottle.

The woman added some of her victims may even have died after she put them to sleep. Questioned how many people were killed from the drug, she said she thinks the number of those killed by the drug’s use may be much higher than 80.

She added: “I think it’s higher, but not everyone wants to admit it. Believe me, there are more than 80 deaths.” In 2023 alone more than 320 cases of child sexual exploitation were reported in Medellín by the Valientes Colombia NGO.

In 2025 Colombia launched a renewed effort to fight against the sexual exploitation of children particularly by foreign nationals in the city. Recently the country has launched a number of initiatives including strengthening international cooperation and tighter migration controls to help protect Colombian minors.

The city’s mayor Federico Gutiérrez previously said: “We have just held a high-level meeting in the city of Miami with the HSI Agency, with whom we are allied in an articulated manner to fight against the sexual exploitation of girls, boys and adolescents. The goal is to eradicate this deplorable crime. The results are already being seen.”

The Mayor added: “Let’s keep working together; we are strengthening this effort. Medellín, as a city, is committed to this fight, and we invite more cities in Columbia, Latin America, and around the world to come join us. More results and more arrests are coming, according to investigators in both the United States and Columbia; we will continue working for the well-being of our children.”

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