International police operation uncovers organized networks of men drugging and raping partners across seven countries

An international police operation spanning seven countries, dubbed Project Medusa, has uncovered highly organized networks of men using online forums to drug and rape their partners. Coordinated by Europol and the UK's National Crime Agency, the investigation has identified over 150 victims and perpetrators, leading to 57 arrests globally. The abuse, which echoes the high-profile Dominique Pelicot case in France, is facilitated by digital platforms where offenders share sedating tactics and coordinate assaults.

Project Medusa international operation

• ▪Investigators from Brazil, Canada, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States, and Europol met in London in June 2026 to share information
• ▪Project Medusa has identified more than 150 offenders and victims, opened over 270 new leads, and resulted in 57 arrests
• ▪Europol and law enforcement agencies from seven countries launched a joint operation called Project Medusa to target drug-facilitated sexual assaults

Online networks facilitating abuse

• ▪Online forum members discuss in graphic detail how to drug victims, share methodologies, trade prescription medications, and coordinate sexual assaults
• ▪Europol's Project Medusa operation identified four new misogynist online communities used to facilitate drug-facilitated sexual assaults
• ▪The UK National Crime Agency identified over 270 individuals linked to a specific online forum and its successors since October 2025

Victim profiles

• ▪Victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault are predominantly women targeted by committed, trusting, and often long-term partners
• ▪Victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault can span any age, social background, or ability

Detection challenges

• ▪Drug-facilitated sexual assault is frequently under-detected and under-reported because victims are sedated and may lack clear memories or proof of the abuse
• ▪Many victims only discover they have been sexually assaulted when contacted by police or when they encounter digital evidence of the abuse

Recent arrests

• ▪The UK National Crime Agency's domestic intelligence packages have led to at least 14 separate investigations and eight arrests in the United Kingdom
• ▪In Stockport, Manchester, the husband of an allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted woman is scheduled to stand trial in September 2026 alongside 12 other men
• ▪Polish authorities arrested a man in April 2026 linked to a private Telegram group dedicated to sharing advice on drugging and raping partners

Pelicot case convictions

• ▪Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2024 for drugging, raping, and recruiting dozens of men to rape Gisèle Pelicot
• ▪German national Fernando P. was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison in December 2025 for drugging and raping his unconscious wife
• ▪Fifty other men were convicted of rape or sexual offences in Avignon, France, in December 2024 following the Dominique Pelicot trial