Medellin: Inside the sex tourism capital of Colombia

The city of Medellin in Colombia has been on a bit of a journey: from notorious home of the drugs cartels and Pablo Escobar, to newfound haven for sex tourism and now to a city where dozens of men die in mysterious circumstances, often after arranging to meet women on dates.

With nearly a hundred cases in the last few years, our Latin American correspondent Guillermo Galdos has been to investigate.

He found a city where organised crime is still rampant, but branching out into the sex trade. And now the tourists are being targeted, with a deadly local drug nicknamed Devil’s Breath.

[JesusMartinez-fyyf]

As a Colombian citizen, I really don't recommend to come here for tourism...

[chippysteve]

Interesting how the mayor blames the perverted tourists (who are obviously at fault!) but ignores the acute poverty and the gangs that create the desperation and lawlessness that makes it all possible in the first place.

[mineomatteo]

I'm from Colombia and highly recommend that if you come as a tourist, try to go to cool natural places in the middle of nowhere, more than go partying in the city unless you are in company of Colombian friends who you can really trust.

[Bruce_Quin]

I recently traveled to Medellin for work and stayed in a shared Airbnb. When I arrived, I was surprised to find three women in the kitchen wearing very little clothing. The guys who brought them were from Australia, and every night more Venezuelan women showed up. It was unlike anything I've ever seen. I asked the younger ones if they needed help, but all they were interested in was money..

[freeagent]

I put women to sleep by talking to them.😅

[moshesierra]

I’m from Miami, Florida and I travel to Medellin often
I got shocked to see the high numbers of older men visiting and actually moving to Colombia.
They look for young women, taking advantage of the fact that they are poor and the laws there are an
absolute disgrace
Consent at 14 yo?
Honestly it’s revolting

[duquesebasvideos]

Blame this on Medellín's political class, the corporate elite and their involvement in the illegal economy, including drug trafficking.

[got_glintsp]

The amount of STDs must be insane. Absolutely disgusting.

[dyce]

This isn't by accident it's by design

[Flyingjinsu]

Sick how they can come and take your daughter and ask you to keep quiet about it.

[kamilstaraszewski]

Poverty, perverted tourists and gangs are not the only reasons. Latin America has a very high tolerance for violence whatsoever, these people as friendly as they are accept extreme violence as something normal. That is why it is what it is, in many countries doing such a thing would be just unimaginable even to local criminals.

[danielfletcher]

Good report. I visited Medellin this March and I have to say I always felt safe. The city is beautiful and has an energy flowing through it. If tourists use their common sense and stay away from certain vices, then all should be well.

[bobby]

that american man hopefully was charged in the usa

[daus]

Thanks for making people aware of these problems

[joelc]

This doesn't just happen in Colombia it happens in other countries as well..

[seanmurray]

Great reporting once again from Mr. Galdos.

[angloedu]

They’ve been doing this in the Philippines for decades! US service men beware! It’s called something else in Australia and SEA.

[hinc]

For everyone blaming tourists for this market, this is just not true. It’s legal, and the market was already there long before tourists started coming to Medellin or Colombia.

95% of the market in Medellin is literally catering towards local Colombian men.
If you've ever been in one of these houses/ apartments, there are almost no gringos/tourists/ americans. It's 99% Colombian men. I just got back to the U.S. from Medellin. Tourists are only in poblado and laureless. But the city is so much bigger than those two areas. Tourists only go to Medellin, bogota, Cartagena, and sometimes Cali. There are definitely markets outside those tourist regions so how do you explain that? Tourists just get all the headlines because they post and talk about online and out in the open whereas Colombians don’t talk publicly about it. Also a ton of taxi drivers in Colombia will try to sell to you. Almost everyone in the city assumes you’re there for that. It’s incredibly annoying

[filisildaanino]

Lord have mercy on the children of this country 🙏🙏🙏

[flyingface]

That american guy should face charges in the US