An international police operation involving nine countries has uncovered organised networks of men who drugged and raped women, using online chat groups to share videos of the abuse, exchange advice and coordinate attacks, Europol and Britain’s National Crime Agency said on Thursday.
By July 2, investigators had identified 156 victims and suspects and opened more than 270 new leads, with 57 arrests made since Project Medusa began in April, Europol said. The NCA said at least eight people had been arrested in the UK following investigations into online forums linked to the abuse, and that evidence had been shared with partner agencies overseas.
The operation involved law enforcement agencies from Germany, the UK, the US, Brazil, Canada, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain, and targeted drug-facilitated sexual assaults committed in intimate-partner settings. Europol said offenders used encrypted messaging services, forums and closed chat groups to normalise abusive behaviour, trade illegal drugs, coordinate crimes and share images and videos of the assaults.
Officials warned the true scale of the abuse is likely far greater than the cases already identified, with many victims unaware they had been assaulted until contacted by police. The NCA described the offences as a “horrifying” and increasingly organised form of sexual violence, while Europol said the crimes often involved long-term abuse carried out by someone the victim knew and trusted.
