Brazilian police on Wednesday arrested three people as part of a probe into an international network accused of sharing videos of women who were drugged and raped, sometimes by relatives, a police source told AFP.
In a statement, police said the investigation began in 2025 with the collaboration of Europol, involving 20 countries.
The probe focuses on “transnational networks dedicated to the distribution and exchange of videos of sexual abuse committed against women under sedation,” said the statement.
A police source told AFP that “in many cases, the perpetrators had a relationship of trust with the victims — such as intimate, family or close social ties.”
Due to the sedation, some of the women were unaware of the abuse.
The modus operandi is similar to that suffered by Frenchwoman Gisele Pelicot, who for decades was sedated by her husband and raped by him and dozens of men.
The trial of her husband, Dominique Pelicot, in 2024 drew global attention.
Police are investigating the crimes of “rape of a vulnerable person and dissemination of scenes of rape or rape of a vulnerable person,” according to the statement.
The police source confirmed the arrests of three people.
The statement said seven raids were carried out in five Brazilian states.
Agents seized “electronic equipment, data storage devices, cell phones, computers, and other materials potentially linked to criminal activities.”
Seven Brazilian citizens are suspected of involvement and the suspects exchanged messages “discussing the use of drugs with sedative properties, demonstrating an awareness of the possible adverse effects of these substances.”
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