New details emerge in Jay Slater's Tenerife disappearance as links to criminal network uncovered
A former Metropolitan Police officer has shared a new timeline of the movements of missing teen Jay Slater in Tenerife, suggesting that his disappearance is connected to an "established criminal network".
Jay, a 19 year old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared three weeks ago after leaving a rave with two British lads and spending the night at an Airbnb in a rural village.
This was Jay's first time travelling abroad, and despite extensive search efforts, he hasn't been seen since Monday, June 17, when he last made contact while trying to get back to the tourist hotspot of Los Christianos.
The case took a dark turn this week when it was revealed that one of the last people to see Jay was a convicted drug dealer. TV detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who travelled to Tenerife to aid in the search for Jay, announced that further investigation into the case has uncovered a criminal network linked to drugs, violent crime, and theft, reports the Daily Star.
In a chilling update, he revealed in a video on X: "As part of this investigation we have sought to speak with all of the people Jay had contact with whilst in Tenerife. The result of this digging has opened up an established criminal network with links to drugs, violent crime and theft. At this stage I cannot expand any further on what we now know. I'm unable to say if this network has anything to do with Jay's disappearance but remain open-minded as we continue to investigate.
"At this stage I cannot expand any further on what we now know. I'm unable to say if this network has anything to do with Jay's disappearance but remain open-minded as we continue to investigate", reports the Manchester Evening News.
The plot thickened when Mark dropped the bombshell on Sunday that Ayub Qassim, 31, a bloke banged up nine years back for running a racket flooding Wales with Class A narcotics, is the enigmatic "Jonny Vegas" who ferried Slater a remote holiday pad.Mark confessed he'd had a chat with Qassim, and said: "In the last 24 hours I have spoken in detail with Ayub Qassim, who is also known as Jonny Vegas.
"He claimed he was out on the (Veronicas) Strip in Playa de las Americas and recounted how Jay was keen to keep the party alive without a roof over his head, leading him (Qassim) to offer a kip at his rented digs.
"They blasted tunes during the drive, made a pit stop for a fizzy pop, and it was a trio in the motor Jay riding shotgun in the back and Qassim's mate riding up front. ""Once they got to the property, his mate opened the door, veered left and crashed out.
"Jay walked in, followed by Qassim who went upstairs and fetched him a red blanket. Qassim said 'Yo bro, the sofa's all yours' and handed him a towel in case he fancied a shower. Jay also asked for a smoke and Qassim gave him a Camel cigarette and left it on the side. Jay then asked for a charger and nipped into Qassim's mate's room, while he was kipping, to get the charger.
"Mr Williams-Thomas revealed that Qassim admitted to him that he dozed off only to be woken by the sound of the door buzzing, where he discovered Jay chatting "with a woman".
Afterwards, Jay departed to grab some food and catch the bus, but he has vanished without a trace since then. The family is still tirelessly searching for him on the island.
