The news of all spain They are on full alert before the mysterious pricks that dozens of women have suffered. A mysterious phenomenon that invades discos or parties and does not leave toxicological traces or lead to other crimes. This has already happened in other European countries.
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There are two regions in which just over 30 cases are registered. In the northeast of Spain, in Catalonia, police officers are investigating 23 complaints, most of them in the tourist town of Lloret de Mar and some also in Barcelona.
For its part, the police of the Basque Country, to the north, attends to 12 cases that have been reported in the last two weeks. At the same time, the wave of notifications —on social networks and before authorities— spreads through Santander, Cádiz, Málaga, Bilbao and Córdoba, among other areas.
The women who were attacked say they felt a prick after having talked with a French citizen in a disco, bar or party. Victims of this phenomenon have reported that members of their bodies have fallen asleep, such as an arm or leg, and that when they went to have a test done at medical centers, no foreign substance was detected.
These are cases of chemical submission. But as is known, —in this peculiar ‘modus operandi’— after the puncture there have been no records of sexual abuse, robbery or related crime. Likewise, no syringe has been found in the premises where the events took place, nor has the aggressors been identified.
What do the experts say?
“I’m afraid that here, those who cause the most fear are the media“, need Miriam Venturahead of analysis at Energy Control, a very prestigious Spanish drug laboratory, according to The confidential. “We do not deny that there are attacks with something sharp, but this story that they are inoculating drugs with a syringe in nightclubs sounds fanciful to us, there are several pieces that do not fit, “adds the expert.
On the other hand, publications circulate on social networks explaining what to do in case of noticing a puncture when being in one of these scenarios. It is believed that the aggressors would be administering to the victims substances such as benzodiazepines, liquid ecstasy, or ketamine.
A theory that the Energy Control expert rules out. “These substances must be administered intramuscularly. This means that you have to have a very thick needle and stick it several centimeters under the skin. In addition, it must be administered slowly, around 20 seconds, because it is a large amount of liquid. It’s quite a painful experience.”Says Ventura. “How is someone going to be giving you an intramuscular injection without realizing it, while you are dancing or standing in line? it’s unthinkable“, need.
Another suggested substance is liquid ecstasy. This is because in one of the cases reported in Gijón, the 13-year-old victim tested positive for this substance, after an analysis at the Cabueñes Hospital. Is drug It is colorless, odorless, with a short half-life and a high viscosity. Due to this last detail, it is ruled out that all cases are carried out with this type of ecstasy, since it would take a lot of time and quantity to achieve the effects that have been denounced.
Background and evidence
To date, the Spanish police have no clues about the main motivation behind these attacks on women, for now they keep all lines of investigation open. The authorities ask the victims to go to a medical center and report the attack as soon as it happens.
Spain is not the first European country to suffer this phenomenon, in 2021 this type of attack began to be registered in the United Kingdom where they baptized it as “needle spiking”, about 1,300 cases were recorded. Then it reached France and there were about 800 attacks with the same characteristics. In both countries there was a climate of “psychosis” in recent months.
The attacks reached Spain at the beginning of July of this year —during the San Fermín festivities in Pamplona— some eight complaints were registered.
While the investigations progress, the Spanish authorities have put in place several surveillance mechanisms and protocols for attending to victims. They also ask for caution not to generate alarmism in the process.