
Knockout Drops: Life After an Attack
Colorless and tasteless, so-called knockout drops have been used for decades to incapacitate people for robbery, rape, and worse. This second part of a DW investigation follows survivors of drink spiking through the aftermath: Kate, who recalls only fragments of the night she was drugged before realizing the next day she had been raped, and Nina, whose case never reached trial despite physical evidence, because she felt disbelieved from the start. Lawyer Jochen Link of the German victims' organization Weißer Ring argues the scale of spiking is underestimated, since blackouts often occur after minimal alcohol consumption. Researchers at Berlin's Charité University Hospital explain why detection is so difficult, as many sedatives break down in the body within hours. Interviews with victims, lawyers, and scientists build a picture of a crime that is hard to prove and harder to talk about, with memory loss itself described as one of the most damaging effects. Link closes with a call for broader social responsibility, not just harsher sentencing.