K.-O. drops: Nina Fuchs' nightmare and the dark truth

K.-O. drops: Nina Fuchs' nightmare and the dark truth

Wittenberg, Deutschland - "It should be a normal evening." This is how Nina Fuchs describes her terrible nightmare, which started in a Munich club in April 2013. After enjoying a glass, she suddenly lost consciousness. What happened then is unimaginable: she woke up in a park and experienced how it was raped while another man simply watched. This traumatic experience had a serious influence on her life, which she maintains open dealings today. Your case is not an isolated case, but reflects the dangers of K.-O. drops, substances that are secretly mixed in drinks or administered in other ways in order to numb victims and to rob them of their memory. These so-called date-rape drugs are tasteless and odorless and quickly disappear from the body, which makes criminal prosecution difficult. RND reports that There are only insufficient statistics on such criminal offenses.

K.-O. drops, such as GHB or GBL, not only ensure loss of control and gaps in the memory, but can also lead to serious health consequences. According to wikipedia they have already been used in numerous sexual offenses. In addition, the number of unreported cases is extremely high because many cases are not recognized or not shown. In 2024, 88 in Saxony and 171 crimes in Baden-Württemberg were registered with knockout drops. However, these numbers are only likely to represent the tip of the iceberg.

The challenge of the Enlightenment

Nina Fuchs has drawn consequences from her horror. She founded the association "No Victim" to support other those affected and to educate the public about the dangers of knockout drops. "We need more prevention and victim protection," she demands, criticizing the lack of education about these dangerous substances. Minister of Health Nina Warken even plans to prohibit trading in the K.-O. drops, but it remains to be seen whether this is sufficient. In this context, it is also important that the regulation of GBL is considered more precisely.

The problem is assessed by experts as extremely realistic. In a discussion in the Bundestag, legislative initiatives were discussed to detort the perpetrators, but without concrete implementations. Experts emphasize that prevention campaigns are often unrealistic, such as the recommendation to pay attention to your own drinks, because this is usually not implementable in reality. Deutschlandfunk leads out that the secret administration of these drugs is known as "spiking" and can also be involved in robbery.

a dangerous environment

Nina Fuchs experienced negative reactions to her advertisement, the investigation was unsuccessful and it was even informed by the police that knockout drops did not really exist. This misjudgment is alarming; In fact, proof of such substances can only be provided in a limited time frame. It is therefore not surprising that in many cases the perpetrators cannot be caught. Wikipedia reports that only 92 cases were registered in Germany between 1995 and 1998 with suspicion of K.-O. drops. Nevertheless, numerous cases are hidden in the number of unreported figures.

The Federal Council is now calling for harder punishments for crimes with knockout drops, including a minimum penalty of five years. It remains to be seen whether these claims are actually implemented in laws. One thing is certain: the sensitization and legal protection for those affected must be significantly improved to prevent future tragedies.

Nina Fuchs continues to fight to raise awareness of the dangers and appeals: "It is important that we talk about these topics so that others do not have to go through the same horror experiences."