Laurence Dollimore
A GANG dedicated to drugging and robbing gay or bisexual men has been rumbled in Spain.
A Colombian man and two Belgians were arrested last week for their part in the scam after two victims in Marbella came forward.
According to police, the Colombian, 33, spent several days chatting to the victims on a hook-up app before arranging to cook them a meal in their homes.
Police did not specify which app was used by the suspect.
Once inside, he would spike their drinks with a strong sedative, knocking them out for four or five hours while he ransacked their properties.
Both victims told police the South American met them in Puerto Banus before convincing them to invite him back.
He then spiked fruit juice with benzodiazepines, police said, before snatching cash, phones, computers and attempting to access their bank accounts.
The victims woke up hours later feeling incoherent with lightheadedness and muscle fatigue.
Both went to a health centre where a blood test revealed the sedatives in their systems.
One of the victims had to be hospitalised for three days as he already suffered from heart problems.
Agents from the Specialised and Violent Crime Unit -UDEV- of the Marbella Policia Local, took charge of the investigation.
They soon tracked down the Colombian, who had been arrested in Madrid in 2018 for similar crimes.
He had only been released from Soto del Real prison in September this year.
The suspect was once again cuffed in the capital, charged with two counts of robbery with violence. He has been kept in jail ahead of appearing before a judge.
The two Belgians, aged 30 and 38, were arrested as accomplices, accused of funding the suspect’s travel.
A police source told the Olive Press that extra caution should be taken when meeting a stranger from a dating or so-called hook-up app.
“You don’t really know who the person you’re talking to is or what they are capable of,” they said, “and you should avoid meeting at your home, especially the first time you meet a stranger.”
