Woman Says She Used Tinder to Drug and Rob Foreign Men in Medellín Beginning at Age 16

A young Colombian woman identified publicly only as “Juanita” is drawing attention after describing how she says she became involved as a teenager in a criminal operation that targeted foreign men using dating apps in Medellín, Colombia.

In a recent episode of journalist Rafael Poveda’s Más Allá del Silencio, Juanita recounts how she allegedly used platforms including Tinder to make contact with men, arrange meetings and then drug them so their valuables could be stolen. According to the program, she says the activity began when she was just 16 years old. (Spotify)

Her account provides a rare first-person look at a type of crime that has become closely associated with warnings to international visitors in Medellín: criminals using dating and social-media platforms to gain a victim’s trust before an in-person encounter.

Juanita Says the Scheme Began When She Was 16

According to Juanita’s account, the targets were often foreign tourists visiting Medellín. She described encountering men from several countries, including the United States and Canada, as well as visitors from Europe and Asia. (TESTIGO DIRECTO)

The encounters reportedly began online. Juanita said she used dating applications and, in some instances, misrepresented herself to gain the men’s trust before arranging meetings.

Those meetings would frequently take place at short-term rental properties such as Airbnbs.

Juanita says the objective was not a romantic relationship. Instead, she described participating in a scheme designed to leave the men incapacitated so their possessions could be taken.

Victims Were Drugged Before Being Robbed, She Says

One of the most disturbing parts of Juanita’s account involves the use of drugs.

The Más Allá del Silencio episode describes the substance as scopolamine, a drug that has become notorious in Colombia because of its use in robberies. Juanita said substances were used to incapacitate victims before their belongings were taken. (Spotify)

In an earlier account published by Colombian outlet Testigo Directo, Juanita described using drops that would cause victims to fall asleep. Once a man was incapacitated, she said she searched the property for valuables. (TESTIGO DIRECTO)

The items targeted included cash, bank cards and other valuables. Juanita said larger items could also be removed from the property if they could be carried away. (PULZO)

Her account suggests the victims’ status as foreign visitors was an important part of the scheme. Tourists unfamiliar with Medellín and meeting someone they believed they knew through a dating application could become particularly vulnerable once inside a private residence.

The Scheme Eventually Led to Prison

Juanita’s criminal activity eventually caught up with her.

According to published accounts of her story, she was 18 years old when she entered prison. Now 20, she has spoken publicly about the decisions that led to her incarceration and the reality she faced inside El Pedregal prison in Medellín. (TESTIGO DIRECTO)

Her appearance on Más Allá del Silencio goes further into that experience. The approximately 42-minute episode, published August 28, is presented as a first-person account of her involvement in the operation, her eventual capture and her experience after being incarcerated. (Podscan)

The account is particularly striking because Juanita is not describing a scheme she allegedly encountered as an adult. She says she was already participating in it at 16, raising additional questions about how teenagers themselves can become involved in organized criminal activity.

Dating-App Robberies Remain a Concern for Medellín Visitors

Juanita’s story also highlights the risks associated with moving conversations from dating applications to private, unfamiliar locations.

Her testimony should be understood primarily as her account of what she did and how the operation worked. Some details described in the interview have also appeared in Colombian media reports about her case, but not every element of her story has been independently established through publicly available court records.

Still, the account offers a disturbing glimpse into how dating applications can be exploited for crimes against tourists.

In Juanita’s telling, what appeared on a phone screen to be an ordinary Tinder match could instead be the beginning of a carefully planned robbery — one involving deception, incapacitating drugs and victims who often did not realize what was happening until it was too late. (Spotify)

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