At least eight people have been arrested in the UK after the National Crime Agency uncovered what it calls a “truly international network” of men drugging and raping women – crimes that echo the case of Gisèle Pelicot, who was repeatedly sedated and attacked by dozens of men orchestrated by her husband.
The NCA has identified 270 individuals linked to online forums where footage of coordinated sexual abuse is shared, and said the offending is “often taking place over decades” and usually perpetrated by a long-term partner. Deputy director Nigel Leary warned that drug-facilitated sexual assault “is no longer isolated behaviour” and is “increasingly organised”.
“Eight arrested in UK as NCA uncovers international drug-rape network with 270 suspects linked to abuse forums.”
“We’re seeing large networks of individuals sharing information online, using technology to exchange content,” Leary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “In many of the cases we’ve seen so far, individuals have become victims of sexual assault crimes while sedated.”
Since the NCA began investigating a particular online forum in October 2025, it has launched 14 investigations, identified eight victims who have been supported, and disseminated more than 210 intelligence packages to law enforcement partners. More than 90% of those packages have been sent abroad. Investigators from Brazil, Canada, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain and the US met in London last week to share information, leading to more than 150 additional offenders and victims being identified, as well as four new online communities.
Leary said the agency has uncovered a network with “group members identified in dozens of countries spanning every continent”. He described how users “discuss in graphic detail how they want to drug their victims”, including inviting others to take part in assaults, seeking advice on sedatives, and coordinating offending to avoid detection.
Siobhan Blake, the national CPS lead for rape and serious sexual offences, said: “The abuse we’re discussing is 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. This offending thrives in secrecy online and behind closed doors. It is the job of the criminal justice system to bring it out into the open to deliver for victims and survivors.”
Deputy assistant commissioner Helen Millichap, director of the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, said victims may not realise what has happened to them. “If something doesn’t feel right, you do not need proof or a clear memory to seek help. Police and support services will make sure you are listened to, taken seriously and given the care you need.”
The NCA has put in place a coordinated response with prosecutors and safeguarding bodies, but Leary acknowledged that “there have been, and are other groups, many as yet unidentified by law enforcement”. The scale of what investigators have seen so far, he said, is “deeply concerning”.