The three Belgian bar managers are among five men arrested in connection with an investigation into the rape and sexual assault of dozens of women, local police say.
Prosecutors said the suspects were linked to a surge in drinks for at least 41 female victims from December 2021 to December 2024.
The three suspects operated the facility in Coltrik, the northwest city of the city where spiking took place. Investigators say they believe they discussed the attack with each other.
The West Flanders prosecutor’s office said a total of five men were arrested Wednesday and Thursday in connection with the Spike investigation.
Two men arrested appeared before an investigative judge on Thursday, prosecutors said.
Two other men are still being questioned by detectives, but the fifth man was released after being interviewed.
The man is suspected of rape, sexual assault and illegal administration of harmful substances, the prosecutor’s office said.
Officials believe drugs are mixed in women’s drinks, such as ketamine, a common anesthetic used for recreational purposes due to hallucination effects.
“Young women were often offered shots of alcohol with amaret flavor, and then woke up in surprise in an unknown bed or their own bed with clear evidence of sexual abuse,” another spokesman for the prosecutor’s office told Freem’s public television VRT.
