International police operation uncovers networks using online chats to drug and rape women

Police from Germany, Britain, the United States, Brazil, Canada, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain have disclosed a cross-border investigation that uncovered organized groups of men who drug and sexually assault women, often their partners, and use encrypted online chat rooms to share instructions, videos and photographs of the crimes. The operation, called Project Medusa, began in April and has so far identified over 150 offenders and victims, opened more than 270 leads and resulted in 57 arrests, according to Europol and Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA).

Victims are frequently unaware of the assault until contacted by authorities, and the abuse is typically carried out by someone the victim knows. The NCA said the scale of the problem is likely underreported.> "Drug-facilitated sexual assault is no longer isolated behaviour, but increasingly organized, conducted via coordinated networks and enabled by digital platforms, requiring a more sophisticated operational response," said Nigel Leary, deputy director at the NCA.

Europol noted that perpetrators use encrypted messaging services and closed groups to exchange information on drug selection, administration methods, avoidance of detection and to circulate exploitative media. Siobhan Blake, lead for rape and serious sexual offences at the UK Crown Prosecution Service, described the abuse as among the most severe she has encountered, adding that victims suffer a profound breach of trust in their own homes.

The investigation follows high-profile cases in Europe, including the conviction of Dominique Pelicot in France and several sentences handed down in Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland for similar crimes. Authorities continue to warn that potential victims can come from any demographic and have urged anyone suspecting they have been drugged and assaulted to report it to police.