Spanish police are investigating multiple alleged sexual assaults on teenage girls who claim their drinks were spiked aboard a cruise liner. The victims, aged 15 and 16, reported the incidents after the ship docked in Barcelona on May 1.
The Civil Guard in Barcelona has taken statements from eight alleged victims, while the Basque police force, Ertzaintza, has handled two additional complaints. All the girls attend the same school in the Basque Country and were on a privately organised trip.
No arrests have been made, but sources confirm that the suspects—adults not part of the girls' group—have been identified and located. The four-day Mediterranean cruise began and ended in Barcelona.
Basque Government Security Minister Bingen Zupira confirmed that police in the region received two complaints. A Civil Guard spokesman said: “We were made aware of alleged incidents involving minors when the cruise liner docked here on May 1. The possible authors would be adults.”
A source close to the investigation stated: “This is being treated as an investigation into possible sexual assaults… Officers are investigating the possibility the minors were plied with alcohol or narcotics before they were allegedly sexually assaulted.” Local reports have identified the suspects as a couple in their twenties, though this has not been confirmed by police.
