Reports of women and men being drugged at bars in the Port-of- Spain area with the help of bartenders have been on the rise over the past few months.
This according to the chairman of the Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes, Jonathan Bhagan. In an interview with Guardian Media, Bhagan said he has been told that the drugs ketamine and flunitrazepam are being used to drug unsuspecting victims.
Flunitrazepam is a powerful hypnotic drug that has sedative, anxiolytic, and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. Ketamine used at low doses can treat pain but misused, it can change a person’s sense of sight and sound- causing the person to have hallucinations and feel out of touch with their surroundings.
Bhagan said that he was told rapists have been accessing the drugs through pharmacies without prescriptions.
“We all know that date rape is a common thing for the last 20 years, girls go into bars, getting drugged, that is a common thing but I’m hearing it more frequently now that bartenders will be paid off to drug somebody,” Bhagan said.
Bhagan said the committee expects the Sex Offenders Registry to be brought to the Senate in the coming months- a piece of legislation they advocated heavily for.
He advised those who go out drinking to be very aware of their drinks when they are out. He said people should avoid going to bars where they are not familiar or comfortable with the bartenders.
“Date rape is a reality, they use the drugs that are used in surgeries to knock people out and women have to be aware of that, watch your drinks, have an accountability partner, don’t go out with a man you don’t know well.”
Bhagan said his calls for women to be more careful are not ‘victim-blaming’ as he said a rapist is always the one to blame for a rape.
Bhagan said while this trend should be a concern for locals, he does not want to start a panic but with the unfortunately high rate of crime in T&T, people need to take charge of their personal safety.