An international law enforcement operation involving authorities from several countries has dismantled online networks where offenders allegedly planned, encouraged and shared drug-facilitated sexual assaults against women.

The investigation, known as Project Medusa, brings together police agencies from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Canada, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain to combat organised sexual crimes carried out through encrypted online platforms.

According to investigators, the victims were unknowingly drugged before being sexually assaulted, often by partners or people they knew personally. Many only discovered they had been abused after being contacted by police during the investigation.

Authorities said the offenders used private messaging platforms and closed online groups to exchange information on drugs, methods of avoiding detection and ways to record and distribute images and videos of the assaults. The networks also allegedly encouraged members to commit further offences.

Since the operation began in April, investigators have identified more than 150 suspected offenders and victims, while more than 270 new investigative leads have been opened. However, officials believe the true scale of the crime is much larger because many victims may still be unaware they were assaulted.

The investigation follows growing international concern over drug-facilitated sexual violence, including the widely publicised case in France involving Gisèle Pelicot, whose former husband was convicted after orchestrating repeated assaults against her while she was unconscious.

Law enforcement officials warned that victims can come from any age group or social background and urged anyone who suspects they may have experienced drug-facilitated sexual assault to report the matter to the authorities.

Officials described the abuse as a serious breach of trust, noting that perpetrators often targeted people within their own homes and relationships, making the crimes especially difficult to detect. They also stressed that international cooperation remains essential to identifying offenders operating across borders and dismantling the online communities that enable such crimes.