A German investigation into a large online predator network has revealed a disturbing criminal organization where members used coded language to coordinate drug-facilitated sexual assaults and share videos of their attacks. The group, which called itself “German Driving School for Experts” on the Telegram messaging app, operated on the platform for years before authorities dismantled its core members, resulting in multiple convictions and lengthy prison sentences.
Members of the network used dehumanizing vocabulary to discuss their crimes. In Telegram posts that sometimes included photographs and videos of their attacks on unconscious victims, they referred to women as “cars,” sedatives as “fuel,” rape as “driving,” and their unconscious victims as “dead pigs.” This coded language served a dual purpose: to evade keyword detection on platforms and to strip women of their humanity in the group’s rhetoric.
Police became aware of the network in 2024 after a man in Frankfurt, identified by German courts as Dapeng Z., shifted his tactics from targeting female acquaintances to approaching strangers he met online. The 44-year-old IT professional was arrested in cooperation with Chinese law enforcement. He worked for the sports-car maker Lotus and had lived in Germany for more than two decades. In February 2026, a Frankfurt court sentenced him to 14 years in prison plus preventive detention for aggravated rape, attempted murder, and other offenses. Court records indicate his conviction involved 22 counts, and investigators found more than ten million sexually violent images and video files on his computer.
The core of the network consisted of eight members, with seven being Chinese nationals. However, the outer rings of affiliated groups reached approximately 4,500 people, with more than 2,000 members actively participating in discussions about how to drug women and trading footage of assaults. Some chat groups reportedly had up to 50,000 members. The Telegram chats had operated since at least 2020, according to court documents, allowing the network to function for several years before law enforcement intervention.
Other high-ranking members received substantial sentences. In April 2026, a Munich court sentenced 28-year-old Zhongyi J., a Chinese master’s student, to 11 years and three months for two counts of attempted murder, six counts of aggravated rape, and violations of personal-image rights. Between 2023 and December 2024, he repeatedly drugged and assaulted his female neighbor in his apartment at least seven times using anesthetic doses that prosecutors estimated at five to ten times the normal medical dosage. Another member was sentenced to five years and nine months in Berlin for related offenses.
The suspects developed a sophisticated operation to target their predominantly Chinese female victims in Germany. They frequently posed as women on WeChat and other Chinese-language social media platforms, using false pretenses like apartment viewings or shopping to lure victims. They purchased sedative drugs through illicit online channels, with some medications disguised as cosmetics to bypass customs. Some members used their professional credentials to source controlled substances. One member with medical training provided instructions to other group members about which drugs could be used to sedate women.
Many victims were unaware of their victimization until police contacted them. Investigators discovered videos and photographs of assaults on the suspects’ devices and informed the women of what had occurred. Several victims had no memory of the attacks whatsoever, only learning the details when law enforcement showed them the evidence.
The investigation began through cooperation between German and Chinese law enforcement, leveraging big data analysis. In September 2024, authorities issued a rare trilingual warning in German, English, and Chinese. The case extended beyond Germany, with authorities providing information to the Los Angeles Police Department in January 2025 regarding a former member living in the United States who was subsequently detained. Police in the Netherlands arrested four additional men suspected of similar crimes after receiving information from German and British authorities.
The success in dismantling the German network has prompted broader international action. Europol, the European Union’s police agency, announced “Project Medusa,” an international operation designed to dismantle online networks that promote drug-facilitated sexual assaults. Law enforcement from Germany and the United Kingdom lead the operation, which has already resulted in 57 arrests. Investigators have identified more than 150 offenders and victims and opened more than 270 new leads since the operation launched in April.
The German cases demonstrate how encrypted messaging platforms can enable criminal activity, despite clear violations of Telegram’s terms of service. The network managed to operate for years before being disrupted. In 2024, Telegram’s founder was arrested in Paris over allegations that the platform was being used for illicit activity, including drug trafficking and distribution of child sexual abuse material. He denied wrongdoing, saying “growing pains” from surging user numbers made it easier for criminals to abuse the platform.
German privacy laws have limited what prosecutors can publicly discuss about the ongoing investigations. Members of the public have been forced to leave the courtroom during certain portions of testimony in Berlin. Despite this restriction, members of Germany’s Chinese community, predominantly women, have attended court proceedings to show solidarity with victims even when they had no personal connection to the cases. One community member who traveled approximately 310 miles to Berlin for a trial said the situation made her angry because “such groups hate women, they have no respect” and “women aren’t seen as people.”
In China, state media has covered the cases comprehensively, though wider discussion on Chinese-language social media platforms like Rednote has been partially censored. Major details about the investigation remain publicly unknown, including the precise number of attacks and perpetrators linked to the network. Authorities have indicated their investigation is ongoing, suggesting additional arrests and victim identifications may be forthcoming.