Spanish authorities are investigating a series of alleged sexual assaults targeting teenage girls on a cruise ship, with victims claiming their drinks were spiked. The incidents came to light when the vessel docked in Barcelona on May 1.
Victims and Investigation
Up to ten girls, aged 15 and 16, have reportedly come forward to police. The Civil Guard in Barcelona has taken statements from eight alleged victims, while the Ertzaintza, the Basque Country's main police force, has handled two additional complaints. All the girls attend the same school in the Basque Country and were on a privately organized trip aboard the unnamed cruise liner.
No arrests have been made, but sources close to the investigation confirmed on Tuesday that the suspects—adults not part of the girls' group—have been identified and located. The four-day Mediterranean cruise is believed to have started and ended in Barcelona.
Official Statements
Bingen Zupira, the Basque Government's Security Minister, confirmed that police in the region received two complaints. A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Barcelona stated: 'We were made aware of alleged incidents involving minors when the cruise liner docked here on May 1. The possible authors would be adults. Officers received several complaints, have taken a number of statements, and an investigation is ongoing.'
A local court has been informed and will determine subsequent legal steps.
Nature of Allegations
A well-placed source explained: 'This is being treated as an investigation into possible sexual assaults, which under Spanish law covers a range of behaviors from inappropriate touching to rape. We are not specifying exactly what allegedly occurred, but we are not discussing rape—rather other types of criminal behavior.' The source added that officers are probing whether the minors were plied with alcohol or narcotics before the alleged assaults.
Local reports have identified the suspects as a couple in their twenties, though police have not confirmed this.
