Victims of 'date rape' drug testify

Congress urged to adopt stronger penalties

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two women who were raped after an illegal drug was slipped into their drinks gave emotional testimony Tuesday, urging Congress to halt the rapid rise in the smuggling of Rohypnol into the United States.

Rohypnol, the brand name for flunitrazepam, is a tranquillizer legal in 64 countries where it is used to treat sleeplessness, anxiety, convulsions and muscle tension. An executive of Hoffman-LaRoche Inc., which makes Rohypnol, testified that the company is cooperating with efforts against illegal use of the drug.

Lisa Celestin of Coral Springs, Florida, and Joy Diliello of Jackson, Tennessee, both said they were unknowingly given the drug and about 15 minutes later became confused and passed out. Afterward, they said, they knew they had been raped but could not recall enough for criminal prosecution.

Became pregnant

"I did come to for a bit, 45 seconds to a minute, while he was raping me (in my own bed)," Celestin told the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and Peace Corps. The 35-year-old mother of three said she didn't fully awaken until the next day and was lucky not to have contracted AIDS. (116K AIFF or WAV sound) "This guy could have sawed me in half and I wouldn't have known the difference." (353K AIFF or WAV sound)

Celestin said she was drugged at a nightclub. Diliello testified her attacker, at the time a trusted friend, offered her what apparently was a spiked soft drink during a visit to his home.

The next thing Diliello knew it was morning of the next day, and she was lying naked in the man's bed. "He turned toward me and said he'd waited five years for this," said Diliello. "So this was not something that just happened, this was planned."

Diliello became pregnant as a result of the assault. The man, who authorities said boasted he had attacked as many as 20 women, eventually pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault.

Same penalty as heroin?

At low doses, Rohypnol can cause drowsiness, dizziness, uncoordination, memory loss and stomach upset, according to testimony from Terrance Woodworth, a deputy director of the Drug Enforcement Administration. At higher doses, it can cause comas, respiratory depression and death, he said.

Woodworth urged Congress to put Rohypnol in the same category as heroin, marijuana and LSD, so police and courts can impose maximum penalties for its possession in the United States -- up to five years in jail. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Delaware, who also testified at the public hearing, has introduced such a measure.

Biden said Rohypnol and similar drugs have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among teen-agers who mistakenly believe the drug is harmless.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related sites:

• Rohypnol (flunitrazepam)
• Sen. Joseph Biden

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