A major international police operation has uncovered organised groups where offenders allegedly planned, encouraged and shared drug-facilitated sexual assaults on their partners, authorities said on Thursday.
The investigation, involving authorities from seven countries, has revealed how online chat groups were being used to exchange advice on drugging victims, avoiding detection and circulating videos and images of the abuse.
Most of the victims were women who were allegedly sedated before being raped or sexually assaulted, according to Europol and Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
Victims Often Had No Idea They Were Assaulted
The investigation found that many victims were unaware they had been attacked until police contacted them.
According to the NCA, the alleged offenders were often people the victims knew and trusted. In some cases, multiple connected offenders were involved in the abuse.
Police from Germany and the UK launched the joint investigation with support from law enforcement agencies in the United States, Brazil, Canada, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain.
The operation, called Project Medusa, began in April to tackle what investigators described as a growing and increasingly organised form of sexual violence.
More Than 150 Suspects And Victims Identified
Since the operation began, investigators have identified more than 150 offenders and victims, opened over 270 new investigative leads and arrested 57 people.
Authorities, however, believe the real number of victims is much higher because many cases are never reported.
“Drug-facilitated sexual assault is no longer isolated behaviour but increasingly organised, conducted via coordinated networks and enabled by digital platforms, requiring a more sophisticated operational response,” said Nigel Leary, deputy director at the NCA.
Encrypted Groups Helped Offenders Plan Assaults
Europol said offenders used encrypted messaging apps, private forums and closed chat groups to communicate with one another.
According to investigators, members exchanged information about which drugs to use, how to administer them without being detected and how to avoid police attention. They also allegedly shared photos and videos of the assaults.
The agency said perpetrators sought to “objectify and dehumanise” their victims, with some abuse continuing for years.
Cases Across Europe Highlight The Pattern
The investigation comes after several high-profile convictions linked to drug-facilitated sexual assault.
In France, Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2024 for repeatedly drugging his wife, Gisele, and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her while she was unconscious. Fifty other men were also convicted in the case, which sparked widespread debate about gender-based violence.
In Germany, a man identified as Fernando P. was sentenced last year to eight years and six months after being found guilty of drugging and raping his unconscious wife over several years while recording and sharing videos of the abuse online.
Earlier this year, Zhenhao Zou received a life sentence with a minimum term of 24 years after being convicted of raping 10 women in the UK and China. Prosecutors said he used WeChat and dating apps to contact women before luring them to his apartments, where they were drugged and assaulted.
In April, Polish authorities also arrested a man linked to an investigation into an online Telegram group where users allegedly exchanged advice on drugging and raping partners.
Police Urge Victims To Come Forward
Siobhan Blake, the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service lead for rape and serious sexual offences, described the abuse as “some of the most horrifying I have seen in my career”.
“Victims are being subject to horrendous sexual offending in their own homes in an ultimate breach of trust,” she said.
Police stressed that victims can be of any age, background or ability and urged anyone who believes they may have been targeted in a drug-facilitated sexual assault to report it.
Investigators say Project Medusa is the first operation of its kind and hope international cooperation will help expose a form of abuse that often remains hidden behind closed doors and in private online spaces.
