Jail for Colombian who Targeted Local Gay Community

Brandon Conrado-Gamboa spiked drinks of men he met on Grindr

Brandon Conrado-Gamboa . Picture: Met Police

May 28, 2024

A 30-year-old Colombian national has been jailed for 11 years after it was found that he stole from men including one in Brentford he had drugged after meeting them on a gay dating app.

Brandon Conrado-Gamboa, of no fixed address in the UK, was sentenced on Friday, 24 May, for conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.

He used the sleeping drug, zolpidem, to knock out his four men and then stole high-value possessions. His other victims lived in Hampton, Hounslow and Bromley.

His accomplice Nelson Alexander Escobar Porras is still wanted, and is believed to be in Barcelona, Spain. The Met and Crown Prosecution Service are working with Spanish Authorities to extradite Porras back to the UK.

Met officers pieced together that the defendant was targeting gay men through the dating app Grindr. Throughout the course of the investigation and court process, specialist officers provided support to victims. Swift action in handling the spiking reports from victims led to them conducting rapid urine tests, which were crucial in securing this conviction.

The offences took place between31 December 2022 and 9 January 2023 in Brentford. It was quickly discovered that Gamboa wasn’t working alone and he and his accomplice worked together using fake profiles to lure victims, drug them, and steal their possessions.

Collectively, officers compiled compelling CCTV footage, phone data and information from airlines to show how Gamboa and Porras meticulously planned their crimes and flew to England one day before their spree of offending commenced.

Police Constable Sade Kujore-Taylor, who led the investigation said, “Both men maliciously preyed on victims using a dating app and exploited their trust. My team worked long hours in a bid to gather evidence against Gamboa which led to the conviction.”

The victims supported officers in their investigation, providing screenshots of conversations using the dating app to help build a case against the defendant. The investigation team also found evidence of the pair attempting to sell the stolen goods and Gamboa was apprehended at Gatwick Airport on 23 February.

One of the Met’s LGBT+ leads, officer Detective Chief Inspector Dan O’Sullivan, advised around the case. Following the sentencin, he said, “As the Met reforms, we are doing more to protect and support LGBT+ victims, while tackling spiking and bringing callous offenders to justice.

"My team worked incredibly hard throughout this investigation, PC Sade Kujore-Taylor was rightly commended by the judge at sentencing for her diligence in such a complex investigation.

“We take all reports of spiking incredibly seriously and work closely with partners, such as Gallop, to build confidence with LGBT+ communities and encourage them to tell the police if they suspect they’ve been victim of crime.

“You can report spiking anonymously online on behalf of yourself or someone else at Report spiking | Metropolitan Police.”

The Met says that, working with Drinkaware, officers are being educated on emerging trends within spiking from research, to better understand how to support members of LGBT+ victims.

Karen Tyrell, CEO of the charity Drinkaware says, "Our research shows that LGBTQ+ adults are more likely to be ‘physically threatened’ and have ‘police contact,’ as a result of other peoples' drinking, compared to non-LGBTQ+ adults, highlighting their disproportionate vulnerability.

"The work of the police in tackling crimes that affect the LGBTQ+ community is really important and successful prosecutions help encourage people to come forward, and report if they have been a victim of a crime, like drink spiking.

“It is important that everyone knows what to do and reports of spiking are taken seriously. If you are worried, you can find out more on our website, Drink spiking and date rape drugs | Drinkaware.”