*Carolina decided, beyond her pain, to tell what had happened to her brother on November 23, 2022. She was motivated to see how, this week, two other young people died after using drugs at massive music events in Bogota, organized by businessmen who rent bars or warehouses for musical presentations. He knows that if this subject remains taboo, solutions will never be found.
Andrés was only 21 years old and was an audiovisual student. He was absolutely dedicated to his studies and that had allowed him to maintain an average of 4.5 in his grades. “He also worked at an international solar panel company and had bought his apartment. He was paying it in installments. He was too judicious, ”said his sister.
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The young man still lived with his parents in Mosquera (Cundinamarca) and that night he asked permission to go out to a meeting, a party with his work friends. But how the event was in Bogotá, he called Carolina, his sister, and asked her permission to come home late and stay the night there. "I told him there was no problem. That he was writing to me and that he tried not to arrive so late. Let her take care of herself. I told him: love, I'll wait for you.
At 11:30 a.m., Andrés spoke with his mother and told her that he was already in the center of Bogotá, at Avenida Jiménez No. 5-36, behind the Gold Museum, and that he was preparing to enter the meeting. "When I got to where my sister marked you, ma", that was the last thing she said to him.
But, at 3 in the morning, there was not a single clue about his whereabouts. There were no calls or messages from him. "My mother called her cell phone number so much that, finally, a woman answered: If she wants to know about her boy, we'll wait for her at the San Ignacio clinic." She was a nurse.
But the one who approached the clinic was Carolina. She was the one who lived in Bogotá. “That day the world came crashing down on me. They explained to me that my little brother was dead. I never thought I would find such terrible news." The only thing they were told was that some men, who looked like security personnel, had taken him in a taxi and left him there, registering himself with a false name and ID. "How is it that they leave a young man dead and are not capable of asking them for more information, taking a photo or retaining them."
The doctors told us that he had died of cardiorespiratory arrest due to a drug overdose and that was something we would never have imagined.
The young man's diagnosis was even more devastating for the family. "The doctors told us that he had died of cardiorespiratory arrest due to a drug overdose and that was something we would never have imagined."
The family had never suspected that Andrés used drugsIt didn't show in his appearance or behavior, as he barely went out to a party once a month. He was not a young man who isolated himself, much less depressed or rebellious. "We could less believe that he used amphetamines as the doctors told us."
According to the project Throw Head, when it hits the head, amphetamine is a chemical derivative of ephedrine. "In Colombia it is not commercialized in a significant way and its most frequent use is as an adulterant or impersonating substance of other SPAs, specifically MDMA (ecstasy), either in crystal or tablet form."
They added that, colloquially, some users often refer to this type of ecstasy tablets adulterated or impersonated with amphetamine as 'amphetous'. In the same sense, they refer to blotters or "little papers" of alleged LSD that are substituted with other substances as 'amphetose'. "However, it is important to indicate that, according to our substance analyses, the presence of amphetamine has not been detected in the driers, but rather other substances from the psychedelic phenylethylamine family, whose effects and risks are markedly different."
After the tragedy, no one gave the family information about what had happened, they only had the Forensic Medicine report that said it had been sudden death. LThe least they asked for was to know how he had died. “The 'friends' got lost and only when we managed to talk to them did they tell us that they had been partying in a place called Oveja Negra, rented for a musical event, and that Andrés had left the group in the middle of the night. ”, said Carolina, who assures that it is an establishment located in a basement where parties with high drug consumption usually take place. “They put in a number of boys without any type of control, without any security protocol. Where is the District, where is the Police”.
Carolina has found out and they have told her that it is common to see young people consuming only water and energy drinks. “Why do they allow this without any kind of prevention or pedagogy. We cannot hand over all the responsibility to inexperienced youth. If my brother had been a connoisseur of drug use, he wouldn't have had this happen to him, he wouldn't be dead. That's why I raise my voice of protest."
He says that he knows that many families do not do it for fear of public ridicule, but that is precisely what the organizers of these events take advantage of, no one will dare to speak. “We believe that there is a very large mafia behind this. Many young people have been affected by parties organized by the same organizers. They only care about profit and nothing else.
Nothing was stolen from Andrés. He appeared with all his belongings, his iPhone, his wallet, his papers, which is why the family is sure that he died inside the establishment. "His friends didn't know about him, except that at 12 they had lost sight of him and that happens because at those parties everyone is alone in his world, dancing alone, with a bottle of water when they have it."
Andrés never got a second chance. They did 25 minutes of resuscitation, but there was nothing to do. He had already passed away. “We are going to take legal action with everyone involved in this case. That is not going to bring him back to life, but suddenly more young people are prevented from dying.
This family is not the same as before. “That is why I want to make a call to the young people. Just think that after a night out that ends in tragedy, an entire family is left destroyed, devastated, with more questions than answers."
Carolina knows that the other thing that can save lives is education. “As parents we cannot turn our backs on this issue. We have to investigate and educate. Don't see this as a taboo. All the guys this has happened to were brilliant. My little brother was a cheerful and respectful boy, very given to the family. He played like a child with his nephews, he did everything to my mom. What's more, he hardly even left town ”.
He adds that this issue should be treated like alcohol consumption. “Until they began to penalize drunk drivers, the tragedies did not decrease. So these businessmen hold the events, but with all the safety measures for life”.
Andrés will no longer finish paying for his apartment, he will not graduate from his university, he will not grow in his company. All that was left in a 'bad trip'. Nobody saw him, nobody helped him in time.
