A teenage girl “nearly died” when her drink was spiked while on holiday in Malia. Emily Earle, 19, was on a girls’ holiday to the Greek island of Crete with four friends and was on her way to a party.
But two hours later, as Emily was sipping her third drink, she started to feel very unwell – she fell asleep at the table at exactly 5.30pm and was very thirsty. Within hours of returning to the hotel, Emily was having difficulty breathing and was in and out of consciousness and was taken to hospital by ambulance, she said.
Doctors confirmed she had swallowed drugs and she thinks a friend who had come to the party may have spiked one of her drinks. Her worried mother had to get on a plane and bring her home.
Emily, a medical student from King’s College London, said: “It was a terrifying experience which was really traumatic for me, my family and friends. I nearly lost my life. I was scared of the heat and the party was very crowded so I didn’t drink much.
“I knew something was very wrong because I suddenly felt very unwell and couldn’t remember anything. I dread to think what might have happened if I had been separated from my friends. Shortly after returning to our hotel, I was in a critical condition with difficulty breathing – I deteriorated very quickly.
“My friends and family were terrified. They thought they were going to lose me. From around 5.30pm onwards my memory is blurry and I don’t remember much after I left the party. Being under the influence of drugs feels like something that could happen to anyone else or to people who aren’t careful, but it can happen to anyone no matter how careful you are.
“It’s very scary. You feel like you have no control – like all your choices have been taken away from you.”
Emily and her friends set out on June 23rd. They were on Malia Lane when they bought tickets to a party. Emily said she drank a Malibu and Coke and a Sex on the Beach cocktail at the event and then started drinking vodka and pineapple. She suddenly felt very drunk and started falling asleep.
“I couldn’t understand, none of my drinks were strong,” he said.
Emily’s friends bought her some food and she ate two BLTs, a burger and an ice cream, but she was still hungry and very thirsty. “It was so out of character for me,” she said. “Usually I’d be fine after a BLT — they were huge.”
Emily’s friends took her back to the hotel at around 7.30pm. Despite their caution, she wandered off to look for a toilet while they waited for a taxi. Within minutes, they found her in a hotel room with a group of boys.
When they returned to her hotel they laid her on the bed and her condition rapidly deteriorated and she was lying on the floor. Emily’s hands and feet were freezing to the touch and her skin was red and blotchy.
His breathing was shallow and rapid, he could not feel his legs, he could not open his eyes and he was losing consciousness. Hotel staff called an ambulance.
Emily says terrified friends have video-called Emily’s family and they all think she could die. She was taken to Herculanium University Hospital at around 9pm, where she was given a drip.
He woke up the next morning feeling fine and was told that drugs were found in his stomach, but paramedics were unable to say which drugs were present without a full toxicology report, which would have to be requested by the police. He does not know what other treatment he received at the hospital because of the language barrier.
Emily’s mother arrived at the resort in the early afternoon and the group flew back to the UK. Emily, from Crawley, West Sussex, said: “I don’t really know how it happened – we were so careful. We’re so sensible and did everything as a group. We were always together.
“I’m very aware of the risks and I’m very careful. When we arrived, a kid bought me a drink and I didn’t touch it. If I had to leave a drink for any reason, I didn’t go back to it.
“I was holding my hand over my drinks when I wasn’t drinking and even taking my drinks to the toilet. I can only imagine someone nudging me and someone else snacking while I was distracted – the party was really crowded.
“Everyone was searched upon entry, but if someone wanted to bring in drugs they would find a way. The scariest part for me was the intent of the person doing it – was it just for fun or did they want to send me back to the hotel room?”
The language barrier left Emily unable to find out much about her hospital stay and prevented her from reporting the incident to the police. She said: “A woman who was in bed with me said it was very common. We can’t stop these things from happening but if it happens to you or one of your friends you can take steps to reduce the damage.
“You can’t be too careful. It’s really important to stay with your friends. Don’t accept drinks from anyone else and don’t leave your drinks unattended. Stay in your group and be very careful
“Don’t drink close to your limit: this can make it easier for someone to harass you. If you’re feeling unwell, tell someone straight away. Pay attention to each other’s unusual behaviour.
“If someone is acting out of character, be there for them and get them to a safe place as quickly as possible, because they could be kidnapped. My friends did a great job: we were all very careful but it still happened and it affected us all.”