The reports raise concerns that sex offenders have found a new way to drug their victims, instead of spiking drinks. But so far no traces of drugs have been found, nor have any sexual assaults been reported to the Spanish police in connection with the needle stick.
In recent weeks, the police have registered 23 cases in Catalonia, most of them in the tourist cities of Lloret de Mar and Barcelona. In the Basque Country, twelve cases have been reported.
The victims’ stories follow the same pattern, according to police. The women, usually young, are out for fun when they feel a pinprick in an arm or leg, and become dizzy or sleepy. The first cases occurred during the running of the bulls in Pamplona in early July.