Global online rings exploit drugged victims, sharing rape footage across platforms

A growing body of evidence shows that organized criminal groups are drugging partners, recording non-consensual acts and circulating the footage online. Zoe Watts, who endured a 16-year marriage in Devon where her husband slipped sleeping pills into her tea before assaulting her, helped start the #EndEyeCheck movement with fellow survivor Amanda Stanhope. Authorities in the UK, Germany and other nations have identified hundreds of members in encrypted Telegram chats and on sites like Motherless that facilitate the trade of sedatives and the distribution of “eye-check” videos.

Notable investigations include a German network dubbed “Driving School,” which targeted Chinese women in Europe, and a French case where a husband recruited dozens of men to rape his wife while she was drugged. Researchers say the networks are male-dominated, exploit misogynistic beliefs, and benefit from the anonymity and payment features of platforms such as Telegram. Victims report severe psychological trauma, and experts urge the creation of specific drug-facilitated rape statistics, tougher legal action against platform operators, and broader public education. The campaign aims to shift blame from survivors to perpetrators and to expose the systemic failures enabling this crime.