One case of needle spiking proven, but occurrence is rare, says Justice Minister

It has only been shown once so far that someone in the Netherlands has become a victim of "needle spiking." Dozens of others also suspect that they have been drugged with a needle by a stranger, but this has not been proven, justice minister Dilan Yeşilgöz wrote to the Tweede Kamer. She assumes that the phenomenon is "limited and incidental" in the Netherlands.

At the beginning of this year there was a lot of media attention surrounding needle spiking, the minister wrote. That is why, at the request of VVD MP Ingrid Michon, she the minister had the frequency of occurences in the Netherlands investigated. The police found dozens of reports in the system of people who became unwell in the pub or club, in combination with a suspicious spot on their body or a stabbing pain. However, most of the time there was not a proper investigation into whether they had drugs in their bodies.

The minister also asked the National Poisons Information Center (NVIC) several times whether there are known examples of needle spiking. There are eight reports known, although they have not yet been proven. The NVIC does advise healthcare employees to have an investigation carried out in these types of cases, but also recognizes that often little is done. This is not necessary to provide people with the right care. The complaints that people experience can also have other causes, such as high blood pressure.

The only case of needle spiking that has been demonstrated was in June this year at a festival in The Hague. A 31-year-old Georgian of no fixed abode stabbed a woman there with a hypodermic needle on which cocaine and heroin were found. He has been sentenced to five months in prison.

Yeşilgöz said earlier this year that she believed a better perspective on needle spiking was needed. Now she writes that she is keeping an eye on the phenomenon with the police and the NVIC, but sees no reason to take extra measures.