Latest news with #SantaMarta
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
I visited a little-known town that is the 'real Colombia' - and looks like time has stood still
Everyone loves Cartagena. Ask the next person to describe the perfect Caribbean town and, chances are, it will look just like this Spanish‑colonial jewel, on Colombia's sunny northern coast. Dainty wrought-iron balconies droop with bougainvillea, those pastel-hued plazas and churches are Insta-perfect. The only trouble is - as everybody agrees - Cartagena's quaint narrow lanes get jammed with mariachi trios and American honeymooners. Not to worry, for I am told that if you put in some effort, you can find a colonial Colombian town just as exquisite - yet you can essentially have it all to yourself. Where might that be? Next dawn I jump in my car-plus-driver. Soon enough the cityscape dissolves into banana groves. Three hours later we rattle into Santa Marta, an agreeably vivid port in a spectacular location, where snowcapped mountains barge their way into the ocean. Sipping a café cortado on the breezy seafront I mention my onward plan. The dashingly moustachio'd barista says, 'Are you really going to Mompox? You are lucky. And unlucky.' Lucky, he explains, because I will see the 'real Colombia'; unlucky because after that, everywhere else might seem a bit colourless. Onwards and inland. In time, the ranches and pastures give way to waterways and jungle Finally, after a full six hours of driving, the great Magdalena River widens before us, and we pull into my ultimate destination. Santa Cruz de Mompox. Or just 'Mompox' to those that love it. History hangs languidly around Mompox, like one of its many hammocks. In the 17th century Spanish merchants, fleeing piratical British raids on the coast, stashed their fortunes here: building palaces, churches, warehouses, mansions. Then the channel silted up, trade evaporated, and Mompox was brilliantly marooned. Result - the nearest Starbucks is 200km away, likewise the nearest chain-hotel or hypermarket. No one complains. There are a few decorous boutique hotels – and a few laid-back bars and riverbank restaurants. Safe, sequestered, delightful little Mompox gets just enough tourism for that. My bijou bolt-hole is a tiled, colonial palacio with greenery around a plunge pool. After a soothing siesta I step out into the town and I discover that, just as I hoped, there is almost nothing to do. At dusk the locals bring out mahogany rocking chairs, and perch them on the riverside, sipping cold Colombiana beer. After an hour they drift off to the cafes, for fresh catfish in coconut curry. Meanwhile an owl roosts in an ornate church-tower, and boys play football in the starlit plazas. Next day I go out on the river - which is what people do when they're not staring at the river. As the afternoon draws on drowsily, the boat idles through lily‑clogged creeks where kingfishers swoop, electrically blue. A fisherman grins, knee‑deep in the river; the haul is so plentiful he barely has to work, so he waves at us instead. His laughing kids do the same. As we head home the skipper kills the engine - to watch the tropical sun perform its nightly trick. With the daylight dying behind, Mompox turns crimson, then purple, with its bell‑towers mirrored in the copper-coloured river-wash. That Santa Marta barista was right. Cartagena dazzles, Santa Marta sizzles, but Mompox enchants As I locate my evening rocking chair, I think of Gabriel García Márquez's famous words about this town: 'Mompox does not exist, yet sometimes we dream of her.' With all due respect, I disagree with the great Colombian novelist. Mompox exists, gorgeously and stubbornly, right on the watery edge of reality.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Gangs preying on British tourists in Colombia by befriending them on Tinder or Grindr before drugging them with 'Devil Breath' truth serum to kidnap and rob them
Violent organised crime groups in Colombia are reportedly using a potent drug to kidnap and rob British tourists. Devil's Breath, also known as scopolamine and burundanga, was previously used as a truth serum by the CIA and comes from the seeds of the Borrachero tree in South America. Now, feared mobsters are using it to drug unsuspecting tourists after ensnaring them with honey trap schemes through dating apps like Tinder and Grindr. Hundreds of people in Colombia are thought to have been targeted with the drug. Colombian police reportedly fear London-based scientist Alessandro Coatti, 38, may have died after being targeted this way. The molecular biologist was staying at a hostel in the scenic historic centre of the coastal city of Santa Marta while on holiday last month. Victims of the Devil's Breath can be paralysed and go into a 'zombie' stupor if they ingest as little as 10mg of the drug. It also makes them susceptible to following commands - and, after up to an hour of hallucinations and delirium, they could lose control of their body and even die. Colombian detectives fear Mr Coatti may have gone to an abandoned house in the southern San José del Pando area of the city after connecting with someone on Grindr, The Daily Telegraph reported. His remains were reportedly discovered by a group of children and he was said to have been identified by a hotel wristband. Mr Coatti had worked at the Royal Society of Biology since April 2017 - first as a science policy officer and for the past six years as a senior science policy officer. Before joining the professional association, created to advance the interests of biology in academia, industry, education and research, the Italian-born scientist had been a post-graduate neuroscience researcher at University College London. He was among Royal Society of Biology representatives who appeared before Parliament, in June 2022, to discuss the future regulation of UK genetic technologies. The drug is thought to have been used before in honey trap schemes in Colombia. Video showed the man carrying a paper bag and keying in the code for the entrance door's security lock. One of the women, dressed in a black bodysuit, looked forward while her accomplice, wearing a similar pink outfit, turned around and looked towards a group of people that were standing near their motorcycles. The individual then opened the door as the suspects followed him into the home - where the alleged robbery took place. Once inside, the women allegedly drugged the man with powdered scopolamine, otherwise known as the 'Devil's Breath,' which causes a person to become disoriented. The women fled with the victim's money, jewelry and cell phone. According to Medellín authorities, at least 254 people were robbed in 2023 by criminals who exposed them to powdered scopolamine.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
London-based scientist was lured into a honeytrap through dating app Grindr before he was brutally dismembered in Colombia, police fear
A London-based scientist who was found dismembered in Colombia is feared to have been lured to his violent death through the gay dating app Grindr. The body of 38-year-old Alessandro Coatti, an Italian scientist working in London, was found across several different locations in the coastal city of Santa Marta on April 6, two days after he was reported missing. His torso was found miles away from his dismembered legs, head, hands and feet. Cops has wildly varying theories as to how the scientists, who previously worked at the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) for eight years as a senior policy officer, was murdered, ranging from a case of mistaken identity between battling cartels to a kidnapping at the hands of organ traffickers. But now cops believe that Coatti, who was in the region as a tourist, was the victim of a gang that targeted foreigners looking for dates abroad. Sources told a Colombian newspaper that he may have been lured to an abandoned house in the San José del Pando neighbourhood of Santa Marta after messaging someone over the dating app. Sources added that the gang planned to drug him with scopolamine, better known as Devil's Breath. While the drug can help alleviate motion sickness in small doses, it can disorient and knock people out in larger doses. There is even the risk of paralysis if not administered with the correct dose. Cops have reportedly identified at least four people, including a woman, believed to have been involved in the scheme. Mr Coatti's head, hands and feet were found in a suitcase near the Sierra Nevada stadium on April 6, two days after he was last seen leaving his hotel by the coast. His torso and other body parts were then found near the Minuto de Dios bridge a day later, before his legs were found in a coffee sack near the stadium on Tuesday. Mr Coatti, originally from Longastrino, Ravenna, was visiting the country in the hopes of one day moving there. His uncle, Giovanni Coatti, previously said of his nephew: 'He wanted to go and live in South America so he went for a trip to see; he was supposed to be back next week.' The molecular biologist had left the Royal Society of Biology in 2024 to volunteer in Ecuador and travel to South America. While in Colombia, he had asked about the local area, showing interest in learning about the local fauna and vegetation, Agenzia Nova reports. Investigators believe he had taken the evening of April 4 to go to a local club before vanishing. They are still working to understand whether or not he ever arrived, scouring CCTV and phone records. According to his uncle, he would not have been an obvious target for thieves. 'He never had much money in his pockets, or a watch or other precious objects,' he said. 'All he had was a new mobile phone to take pictures but even that was a cheap one.' A parallel investigation has also been opened in Italy and his parents have handed over devices containing his last messages. Local human rights activist Norma Vera Salazar said there have been 13 similar murders in the region in the last year. This is the first time the victim is a foreign tourist. The country, long riddled with paramilitary violence and cartel feuds, remains dangerous for tourists, and the FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the Colombia-Venezuela border and northern Colombia. Salazar warned of a 'pattern' in recent murders where people have been found dismembered and 'stuffed into garbage bags or coffee sacks and abandoned'. 'These types of homicides are used by vigilante groups to send warning messages, instill fear, and mark their territory.' 'Usually this is a way to send a message,' Victor Polo, a journalist for Santa Marta's Caracol Radio, echoed.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Telegraph
London scientist dismembered in Colombia was lured into trap through Grindr
A scientist found dismembered in Colombia was the victim of a honeytrap through the gay dating app Grindr, police believe. The mutilated remains of Alessandro Coatti, a 38-year-old Italian who worked in London, were discovered scattered across the coastal city of Santa Marta on April 6, two days after he was reported missing. Investigators had originally suspected the molecular biologist may have been killed in a case of mistaken identity between warring drug clans. Colombian police, however, now believe that Coatti, a tourist with no links to organised crime, was the victim of a gang targeting foreigners looking for dates online. The Italian was reportedly lured to an abandoned house in the San José del Pando neighbourhood after messaging someone over Grindr, a popular dating app designed for LGBT people. The gang's plan had been to incapacitate Coatti using a drug colloquially known as 'Devil's Breath' (scopolamine) and then rob him, according to sources first reported in El Tiempo, a Colombian newspaper. Scopolamine is a drug that can be used to treat motion sickness but in larger doses, it can disorient and incapacitate users, and even paralyse victims. Police carry out raids What happened remains unclear but post-mortem examinations concluded that Coatti was killed by blunt-force trauma. The gang is said to have dismembered his body after his death to trick investigators into believing it was a gangland-style hit as a warning message to rivals. At least four people, including a woman, were allegedly involved in the scheme and had been identified by authorities, El Tiempo reported. A group of children stumbled across a suitcase on the side of the road leading to the Sierra Nevada football stadium containing Coatti's severed head and arms. His mutilated torso was discovered by police in a bag after locals in the Minuto de Dios neighbourhood reported a rotting smell coming from a stretch of the Manzanares river. Other remains of Coatti are still missing. Police have carried out a string of raids in Santa Marta and have seized three mobile phones in connection with the case. The city authorities have offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of his killers. 'I can't breathe, I miss you' Coatti, known as Ale to friends, had worked for the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) for eight years as a senior policy officer. The Italian, originally from Ferrara in northern Emilia-Romagna, had emigrated to London and left the RSB at the end of last year to volunteer in Ecuador and travel through South America. He arrived in Santa Marta on April 3 and disappeared the following day. Col Jaime Ríos Puerto, the commander of the Santa Marta police, confirmed Coatti had no criminal record and was not the subject of any threats. Sandra Lovato, Coatti's mother, shared that the last message she ever received from her son was on Mother's Day, five days before he went missing. 'Hi Mum, I want to come back. I love you, so much,' it read. Ms Lovato has shared several tributes to her son on Facebook, including highlighting his work in teaching children English in Ecuador. 'I miss you so much, I can't breathe. I miss you, I miss you so much,' she wrote in another post.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🚨 Confirmed XI: this is how América de Cali line up away to Unión Magdalena
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. On matchday 19 of the **Liga Betplay 2025-I**, **América de Cali** visits **Unión Magdalena** at the Sierra Nevada Stadium in Santa Marta. The team led by **Jorge Da Silva** has already secured its place in the final quadrangular, but in the last two matches, they aim to collect three points to finish in the top two positions and thus gain the advantage of the 'invisible point' in the final round. **Unión Magdalena**, coached by **Luis Fernando Fernández**, is at the bottom of the league and has yet to win in 17 matches played. ## América de Cali leaves nothing to chance 📋⚽ Our starting eleven to face Unión Magdalena tonight at the Sierra Nevada. 👹[#UNIxAMÉ]( [ — América de Cali (@AmericadeCali) [May 19, 2025]( Without underestimating a lower-level opponent, 'Polilla' fields his main lineup, although with the inclusion of **Joel Romero** in midfield instead of Cristian Barrios. In defense, **Brayan Medina** returns, replacing Bocanegra. Rodrigo Holgado is the key player in the attack. 📸 Alexandre Schneider - 2025 Getty Images
