Dutch police detain 4 suspects in probe into men who drugged, abused women they knew

Gisele Pelicot speaks after she receives the Freedom From Fear Medal of the International Four Freedoms Award during a ceremony in Middelburg, Netherlands, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Warning: Graphic content

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch police have detained four men in a major investigation into allegations of drugging and sexually abusing women they knew then sharing videos of the abuse, in a case that has echoes of French woman Gisèle Pelicot’s ordeal.

The suspects, whose identities were not released in line with Dutch privacy rules, were detained after police, acting on information shared by authorities in Germany and the United Kingdom, searched several houses across the Netherlands over two days last week, police said in a statement Thursday.

“Information indicates that possibly multiple women in the Netherlands were drugged by someone in their immediate circle. Subsequently, sexual acts were performed on the victims while they were being filmed,” police said. They added that the men are suspected of using social media chat groups to share images of sexual abuse and information on how best to drug people.

It is still unclear how many people were abused. Police are trying to identify people who were abused from images on phones and computers seized in a series of raids last week.

“But what is clear is that this is a case with an enormous impact,” Milou van der Kolk of the Rotterdam Sexual Crimes Team said in the police statement. ”As a victim, you may not know what happened to you, because you may have been drugged and were unconscious. The news that your partner or an acquaintance may have drugged you and perhaps even raped you or attempted to do so can turn your life completely upside down.”

Police did not rule out making further arrests in the investigation.

In December 2024, Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and 50 other men were convicted of sexually assaulting her between 2011 and 2020, while she was drugged into submission. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while the other defendants received sentences ranging from three to 15 years.

Dominique Pelicot, whom Gisèle Pelicot had been married to for nearly 50 years, acknowledged that for years he mixed sedatives into her food and drink so he could rape her and invite other men to do the same.

Mike Corder, The Associated Press

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

• Call 911 if you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety.
• The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres' website has a comprehensive list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling.
• The Ending Violence Association of Canada‘s website has links to helplines, support services and locations across Canada that offer sexual assault kits.
• Indian Residential School Survivors Society crisis lines: [phone] or [phone] (24/7)
• Toronto Rape Crisis Centre crisis line: [phone] (24/7)
• Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: [phone] (24/7)
• Trans Lifeline: [phone]
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)
• Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre for current and former Canadian Armed Forces members: [phone]
• Read about your rights as a victim on the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime website.