A British holidaymaker has died of alcohol poisoning after receiving 22 injections in just 90 minutes while visiting a Polish strip club.
The victim, called only 36-year-old Mark C. due to local privacy laws, was already drunk when he arrived with a friend at the Wild Night club in Krakow.
But despite trying to refuse drinks, investigators say he was shot nearly two dozen times before collapsing and later dying.
After he collapsed, the club’s staff robbed him of PLN 2,200 (£420) in cash, according to Polish authorities.
MailOnline has contacted the State Department for comment.
Photo shows police with one of the suspects, undated. Police raided nightclubs and arrested suspects during an investigation into an organized crime group that extorted money from nightclub patrons after a British man died of alcohol poisoning
Photo shows police with one of the suspects, undated
Holidaymaker Mark was in Poland as a tourist with his boyfriend, who has not been named, and the pair are said to have been lured to the club by an offer of free entry.
The Polish National Prosecutor’s Office says he had a deadly blood alcohol level of at least 4 promille at the time of his death.
Polish media said Mark had died before local police stated they had charged 58 people with joining an organized crime group during a raid on the Wild Night club, among other places.
Footage released by Polish police shows officers storming the club, arresting suspects and seizing computers, cash and phones.
Poland’s Central Police Investigation Agency (CBSP) said in a statement that they have filed more than 700 criminal charges against the group.
They said the clubs ran a racket where they systematically got gamblers drunk before robbing them.
Some were even persuaded to take out loans to cover “debts” from the fraudsters.
Authorities said this week they had finally arrested the group that forced Mark to drink himself to death.
“One of the clues investigated by the investigators in the case involves the victim being driven to a state of intoxication, causing him to lose consciousness and then die due to acute alcohol intoxication,” their statement read.
They also said, “The man received no medical attention during the incident. Provisional arrests have been made against those suspected of this act.’
The investigators also said that ‘CBSP police officers detained an additional seven people suspected of robberies and fraud at go-go club customers.
“There are already 58 suspects in the case.”
A GV of the building in Krakow’s Old Town that used to house the rogue Wild Nights club
This bodycam footage shows how the Polish police arrest a suspect
Image shows the control room in one of the strip clubs, undated
The statement also said: ‘The agents of the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police are investigating an organized criminal group that extorts money from customers of go-go nightclubs.
According to the researchers’ findings, the group’s activities were aimed at committing crimes against club patrons by leading them to a state of deprivation of consciousness and perception. […].
“The perpetrators took advantage of the mental and physical state of the victims and carried out payment transactions using payment cards or other financial instruments for goods and services allegedly offered at the club.
“In some cases, electronic banking, on devices owned by customers, also allowed loans to be taken or deposits or savings accounts to be opened and funds accrued there to be transferred to the accounts of companies operating clubs.”
The statement continued: “To those detained during the recent activities, the prosecution presented charges of participation in an organized crime group, committing robberies and fraud against clients of Krakow and Warsaw clubs, among other charges. They include, for example, leading or participating in an organized crime group.
“The case also applied 31 arrests, property guarantees amounting to almost PLN 1.6 million [GBP 305,000] and real estate with a total value of more than PLN 6.8 million [GBP 1.3] was secured,” the statement concluded.
The investigation is ongoing.