POLICE are investigating a suspected incident of ‘needle spiking’ after a tourist was sexually assaulted at a Malaga nightclub.
The woman reported the attack at a city centre venue on June 28, telling officers she believed she had been injected with a substance to make her drowsy.
Paramedics later discovered a mark on her right shoulder consistent with an injection.
The Policia Nacional’s Family and Women’s Unit is now awaiting toxicology results to determine whether the tourist was actually drugged through the suspected ‘needle spiking’ method.
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The tourist had been enjoying a night out at the Malaga hotspot when she said she was inappropriately touched by a man.
She later sought help from police, who activated emergency protocols and had her taken to hospital.
It was during the ambulance journey that she told paramedics she felt unwell and suspected she might have been injected with something.
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The phenomenon, dubbed ‘needle spiking’ in the UK where it also caused widespread alarm, saw reports of people being injected with drugs in nightclubs and bars.
The phenomenon first emerged in the UK in 2021, with over 1,000 reported claims of spiking by injection recorded from September to December 2021.
It then spread to France in spring 2022, where more than 300 people reported being pricked with needles at nightclubs or concerts.
Spain saw its first wave of reports in summer 2022, with cases emerging in the Basque Country, Catalonia, Andalusia, Aragon and Cantabria, involving around 50 reported incidents.
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The Balearic Islands were particularly affected, with multiple cases reported in Mallorca’s nightlife scene.
However, investigations have consistently failed to find evidence supporting needle spiking claims.
Police in the Balearics concluded that all needle spiking reports in 2022 were false, with no evidence to back them up.
In the UK, the National Police Chiefs’ Council said no cases of injection of drugs had been confirmed, despite hundreds of reports.
No verified toxicological results have been published showing the presence of known incapacitating agents in alleged victims, and none of the suspected cases have been definitively verified in police investigations or medical reports across Europe.
Spanish police investigations found no chemical traces in victims, while a French study found that despite 62% of alleged victims presenting with skin lesions compatible with needle pricking, all toxicological and serological tests returned negative results.
Despite the lack of confirmed cases, the 2022 needle spiking scare saw establishments across Spain implement new safety protocols as reports flooded in from nightlife venues.
Health authorities even warned about potential risks of HIV and hepatitis transmission if contaminated needles were being used.
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