This Spanish Bracelet Can Tell If Your Drink Was Spiked — A New Weapon For Sexual Assault Prevention

Updated June 19, 2025 at 6:20 p.m.*

-Analysis-

BOGOTÁ — Chemical subjection or submission is a form of violence based on power and control, which in most cases affects women. This type of criminal offense concerns the non-consensual use of psychoactive substances to alter a person’s state of consciousness for purposes such as sexual aggression, theft or abuse. The substances used can numb willpower, hinder physical reaction and alter the victim’s behavior. The practice shows how women’s bodies and autonomy continue to be violated in everyday contexts such as parties, bars or social gatherings. 

In response to the problem, various self-defense or protective tools have been developed, primarily designed for women as they are the chief victims of this type of crime. They include bracelets, coasters, cards, and reactive wristbands that can detect substances in your drink, but also drug kits to carry out rapid urine tests. While the initiatives are a step forward in terms of prevention, they are also placing the burden of anticipating dangers on the shoulders of women, as rather less is being done to eradicate the violence they face. 

Just in 2024, more than 1,165 cases of subjection were reported in Bogotá while in Antioquia, the department in central Colombia, at least 368 cases of poisoning with substances like burundanga (also known as scopolamine) were registered, according to data from the respective police agencies. According to Échele Cabeza, a Colombian risks and harm reduction research and services center, the chemicals used in many such cases act to depress the central nervous system, causing effects like sedation, amnesia, disinhibition or even total loss of consciousness.

In this context of violence, a device already used in countries like Spain, Mexico, Italy, Portugal, Sweden and Chile recently arrived in Colombia. It is the Sentinel Bracelet, created by a Spanish creative agency, Aglaya Creativos, and born of the personal experiences of one of its founders, who was a victim of chemical subjugation at 15 years old. The project, which the agency terms Movimiento centinela, is proposing a rapid means of detecting chemicals typically thrown into drinks, as a remedial but also preventive tool against a threat to potentially large numbers of people.

Worldcrunch 🗞 Extra!

Know More • Over the past five years, the UK has seen especially high levels of drink spiking, with the UK Government releasing a report of 6,732 cases from a year-long period ending in April 2023 — 87% of which occurred in nightclubs or bars, and 74% of which involved female victims. While the crime was previously prosecuted under various laws dating back to 1861, in response to these surging rates, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in November 2024 that spiking would become a standalone offense, vowing to halve violence against women and girls.

Independent UK organizations Spike Aware and Stamp Out Spiking were founded to combat drink and drug spiking specifically, with the government-associated non-profit Drinkaware (founded in 2006) adding spiking research to its long list of alcohol harm-reduction awareness initiatives in 2024. Still, because identifying offenders is difficult, and victims are often hesitant to report incidents, preventative measures like the Sentinel Bracelet are crucial.

Sentinel bracelet

The Sentinel Bracelet is worn on the wrist and can detect more than 22 chemical substances commonly used to overcome a person’s will. The bracelet includes two tests: one that reacts to amines — a group of compounds that includes several drugs with psychoactive effects — and another designed specifically to identify GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid), a central nervous system depressant.

The wearer must dip their finger in the suspect drink and place a drop on the reactive patch. Within seconds, if a substance is present, the patch changes color.

While many such violations happen in public spaces like bars, parties or concerts, they also occur in private and repetitive contexts like at home.

Speaking with El Espectador, the bracelet’s creators explained that their goal was not only to design a functional device, but also a deterrent object. Just wearing the bracelet, they stressed, “sends a signal that you’re ready to take a rapid test,” says Scarlett Victoria Guadamuz. The intention, they said, is for anyone planning to commit a crime to think twice when they see that the person is protected.

The Sentinel bracelet is valid for one year without use, but only allows one test. Once activated, it cannot be reused. “If the test is positive, you must take your drink and go to a hospital as soon as possible. The bracelet doesn’t tell you exactly what the substance was but medical tests can, especially if you keep the drink, since the test on the liquid is more effective and faster than on the body.” The Sentinel Movement’s representative in Colombia, Patricia Trujillo Duque, says this step can be key to accessing timely medical care and facilitating a possible complaint.

While more products are being designed to detect substances in drinks, their availability in bars, clubs or concerts remains limited. The bracelet’s creators say there is a persistent idea that making such tools widely available can be stigmatizing and fuel a perception that offenses like chemical submission are part and parcel of a night out clubbing. But they also point out that facilitating access to such devices can be a solid move to incorporate prevention with the leisure experience in a variety of settings.

Primarily women targeted

Although spiking can affect people of any gender, it is closely linked to sexual violence, a form of aggression that disproportionately impacts women. According to data from Spain’s National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (INTCF), in 2021, 93% of victims of sexual assaults with suspected chemical submission were women, mostly aged under 35 years. 

Like other forms of gender-based violence, chemical submission has to do with power relations seeking to exert control over women’s bodies and will. The use of substances to facilitate sexual assaults is reflective of a culture that normalizes the availability of the female body and reproduces dynamics of domination and submission.

While many such violations happen in public spaces like bars, parties or concerts, they also occur in private and repetitive contexts like at home. A perfect example is the notorious case in France of Gisèle Pelicot, a victim of this type of crime and survivor of sexual abuse.

While more products are being designed to detect substances in drinks, their availability in bars, clubs or concerts remains limited.

Undected chemical subjugation

Currently available detection devices are designed to spot substances introduced into a drink without your consent, which is only part of the problem. There are also cases of drug administration by inhalation, in which the victim is exposed to volatile substances like scopolamine or burundanga, through impregnated objects that are brought close to their airways without their noticing.

There are also documented cases of opportunistic chemical subjugation: this does not involve the external administration of substances but rather of the aggressor taking advantage of the victim’s vulnerable state after voluntarily consuming alcohol or other drugs. This form of violence is often dismissed, both socially and institutionally, for the stigma associated with consumption.

Originally published June 13, 2025, this article was updated June 19, 2025 with new information about drink spiking in the UK.