Why are tourists going missing in Tenerife? As the hunt for teenager Jay Slater continues - the mystery over the other Brits who never returned home and how 11 other people have vanished on the party island in six months alone
Millions of British tourists flock to the Spanish island of Tenerife each year in search of an affordable holiday with guaranteed sunshine.
From the infamous party strips in Playa de las Americas to the challenging hikes in the rugged mountains, Tenerife attracts holidaymakers from far and wide.
Three weeks ago, 19-year-old Jay Slater found himself experiencing both sides of Tenerife - having ended up at an Airbnb with two men near the remote Rural de Teno national park following a night out on the Veronicas strip, which is an hour away.
The apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle, near Lancashire, has not been seen since the morning of June 17 - and his mysterious disappearance has been the subject of huge interest.
Jay left the Airbnb at around 8am and decided to try and walk back to his accommodation because there was no bus. He called his friend Lucy Mae Law at around 8.50am, telling her 'his phone was down to one per cent, he was lost and thirsty' before the line went.
Police and mountain rescue teams using dogs, drones and a helicopter spent 13 days looking for him in the unforgiving Masca valley - where his phone last pinged - before calling the search off on June 30.
MailOnline revealed yesterday that ruthless British drug dealers are fighting with the Italian mafia for control of the drugs trade in Tenerife, prompting fears that Jay has somehow been sucked into the island's murky underground world.
Jay joins a long list of Brits and other tourists who have vanished on Tenerife over the years - many last seen in the vibrant Playa de las Americas resort.
The teenager was the 11th person to go missing on Tenerife in just six months - with other cases still unsolved almost 40 years later.
Jay Slater (pictured) is the latest young tourist to go missing on the Spanish island of Tenerife
Mariel González Gutiérrez and Sebastian Cobos Gonzalez
The 27-year-old Mexican mother and her two-year-old son were reported missing on March 21 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The SOS Desaparecidos Association has said it is probing a possible case of child abduction and it is feared that Sebastian could have 'left the national territory'.
Spanish paper El Espanol reports that a judge had ordered Sebastian's passport to be withdrawn while his parents fought custody, with 'shared guardianship' having been agreed previously.
Mariel González Gutiérrez and her son Sebastian Cobos Gonzalez were reported missing on March 21 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Natalia Belavus and Vladimir Marcella
The mother and son, from Belarus, were reported missing on March 27.
The SOS Desaparecidos Association has since said they suspect the case to be 'parental abduction'.
Natalia, 28, and her son have been pictured on social media since, according to local reports.
Natalia Belavus and her son Vladimir Marcella were reported missing on March 27
Marc Francis Olbrechts
The 71-year-old, thought to be a Belgian national, disappeared on April 24. He was last seen in Adeje, southwest Tenerife, according to the SOS Desaparecidos Association, which issues appeals on the island.,
Local newspaper Canarian Weekly has reported that Marc's wife, 66-year-old Laura Gaston, was found floating off the coast of Tenerife near Arico by a fisherman.
There was a bag over her head and she was missing one hand and both legs, according to reports.
Three people were arrested following Laura's death, two in Belgium and one in Tenerife.
'Neighbours saw them leaving on foot for a yoga class in the village on Monday evening,' a friend of Laura's told Belgian newspaper 7sur7 in the days after they went missing. 'They looked happy, they were just enjoying their life on the island.'
Marc Francis Olbrechts disappeared on April 24. His wife was found floating in the sea
Marek Siedlecki
The Polish national was reported missing on June 14 - three days before Jay Slater vanished.
He was said to be heading towards Lanzarote, where he intended to fly back home.
Polish media reports that Marek was sailing his boat Nautis and was last spotted in the water.
'After several phone calls with experienced sailors, we suspect that the electrics and steering have failed, as a result of which the yacht is drifting without the possibility of reaching any port,' Marek's son Przemysław told Polsat news.
The Polish national was reported missing on June 14 - three days before Jay Slater vanished.
Noelia Hernandez Martin
The 17-year-old girl was reported missing on January 23 from San Cristobal de La Laguna in northern Tenerife.
Noelia Hernandez Martin was reported missing on January 23 from San Cristobal de La Laguna in northern Tenerife
Marek J
Marek vanished from Vallerhermosa, a village in La Gomera, on June 8.
The 51-year-old is around 180cm and 80kg - but officials have not disclosed where exactly he was last located.
Marek vanished from Vallerhermosa, a village in La Gomera, on June 8
Juan Cabrera Gonzalez
The 60-year-old was reported missing on January 13.
He was last seen in La Oratava. He is described as having grey hair and brown eyes.
Juan was last seen wearing a blue tracksuit with a white stripe and boots that had metal zips on.
Juan Cabrera Gonzalez was last seen in La Oratava
Rayco Garcia Diaz
Rayco was reported missing on March 15 in Barranco Hondo-Candelaria, in Tenerife.
He was said to be driving a silver Ford KA at the time.
Police say the 44-year-old, who was wearing a black jacket and black trainers, is considered 'vulnerable'.
Rayco was reported missing on March 15 in Barranco Hondo-Candelaria, in Tenerife
Ryan Cooney
The 28-year-old, from Ireland, vanished after he was allegedly attacked and robbed while holidaying in Tenerife last November.
He was last seen at an apartment complex in Playa de las Americas on November 9, but the only trace of him was his passport.
After several days of desperate appeals and his family flying to Tenerife, Ryan suddenly reappeared on November 13.
His friend James Burke said: 'Words can't describe how I'm feeling right now. This is unreal, this doesn't happen. I'm so happy.
'Thank you so much to everyone, my best mate is found safe, he's coming home.'
After several days of desperate appeals and his family flying to Tenerife, Ryan Cooney (pictured) suddenly reappeared on November 13
Jay Slater
The discovery of Ryan Cooney offers a glimmer of hope for the family of Jay Slater who have been searching for answers since the teenager went missing in Tenerife on June 17.
The 19-year-old was partying with friends at the Papagayo beach club in Playa de las Americas for the final night of the three-day NRG festival.
He then went back to a £40-a-night Airbnb with convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim and another mystery man in the early hours of June 17.
Qassim, 31, was one of the last people to see Jay before he called a friend to say he was walking home and vanished without a trace. He has not been seen or heard from after last being seen on Monday, June 17.
He was last seen just after 8am by a witness who said he was walking back to his hotel in the party resort of Playa de las Americas after missing a bus. Spanish police have described the two men as 'irrelevant' to the investigation.
The disappearance of British teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife has shone a spotlight on the holiday island's dance music scene and its lucrative drugs trade. Jay is pictured here in the early hours of the morning on June 17 at Papagayo nightclub on the notorious Veronicas Strip
Veronicas Strip is in the popular party resort of Playa de las Americas, Tenerife
Before Jay went missing he spent time with convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim, 31, and another mystery man. Qassim (pictured) was jailed nine years ago for being the ringleader of a sophisticated operation to flood the streets of Wales with heroin and crack cocaine
A map showing Jay Slater's last known movements before he disappeared
Earlier this week, Qassim told MailOnline he had invited the teenager back to the cottage in the village of Masca because his friends had left him at an end-of-festival after party.
TV sleuth Mark Williams-Thomas has since interviewed Qassim who claimed to have offered Jay a lift back to his hotel after he slept, but was turned down as he was hungry and 'wanted some scran'.
He revealed that Qassim said that Jay had been eager to leave the Airbnb on waking up the next morning and a neighbour had told him about a bus that could take him back.
He said: 'Qassim said to him 'Chill, mate, I'll drop you off later, when I wake up' but he said Jay said 'nah, I need some scran, I'm hungry'.
'Jay said he had been told by the woman the bus to Los Cristianos was every ten minutes and Qassim said there was no bus and added 'Do what you like' before going to sleep.'
Jay (right) pictured alongside his mother Debbie and brother Zak (left) who flew out to Tenerife after his disappearance
Missing Jay posted a final picture at 7.30am on Snapchat from the house of 'two English lads' an hour before phoning his friend Lucy. The video was taken on the same doorstep as Qassim's video
Mr Williams-Thomas added: 'Qassim says the next thing he remembers is getting a call from one of Jay's friends to say he is lying in a ditch somewhere and that he's been 'bitten by a cactus'.'
Jay's phone last pinged in an area of the Masca valley, where police concentrated their search for 13 days before calling it off on June 30.
His tragic disappearance has been subjected to cruel conspiracy theories from internet sleuths online, which his family - who are in Tenerife - have condemned.
Jay was among 11 people who have disappeared on Tenerife in just six months - but other missing cases on the island remain unsolved, while some had tragic outcomes.
Billy Bennett
The 18-year-old, from Holborn, London, vanished from his holiday in Tenerife on December 1, 1985.
The teenager had planned to go to the Spanish island with a friend but when they dropped out at the last minute, he decided to power ahead on his own.
It is known that Billy stayed at the Las Americas resort and was often spotted at the Sergeant Peppers nightclub.
His friend flew out later with his girlfriend, but insisted he only met up with Billy a handful of times.
He claimed that Billy seemed 'worse for wear' on one occasion, saying he had lost his money and had nowhere to stay.
His whereabouts are unknown to this day.
18-year-old Billy Bennett (pictured), from Holborn, London, vanished from his holiday in Tenerife on December 1, 1985
Ricky D'Cotta
The 23-year-old, from London, travelled to Tenerife in March 1987 because he wanted to explore the 80s club scene - but never returned.
He started working at the Sergeant Peppers Disco Pub in the Playa de las Americas resort.
Ricky last spoke to his family in October 1987, telling them he would be coming home soon. However, his family never heard from him again.
Shortly after he vanished, Ricky's passport and a bag were handed to the police.
In 2001, a Channel 4 documentary called Looking for Ricky revealed that five unidentified bodies were found, one of which could have been his.
However, DNA tests were inconclusive, while Ricky's best friend alleged he had been murdered after a botched robbery of a local drugs baron.
The documentary looks back on possible sightings, including one where he was apparently walking around the island claiming to be Jesus, another wearing an expensive white suit and a third in a south London clothes shop.
Despite desperate attempts to find Ricky, he has never been found. His mother and sister were said to 'remain in a limbo between grief and hope'.
Ricky D'Cotta (pictured), from London, travelled to Tenerife in March 1987 because he wanted to explore the 80s club scene - but never returned
Kevin Ainley
It was 20 years last month when Kevin Ainley vanished in Tenerife aged 24.
Kevin, from Lancashire, went missing in June 2004, having moved to Playa de las Americas in March that year.
He was working as a promoter at the Sportsman bar in a popular area known as 'the patch'.
The 24-year-old had spent the night in bars and clubs with a friend before they went for dinner at Merlins Chinese buffet restaurant.
He was last spotted walking towards the Sportsman bar after finishing the meal.
But when he did not turn up for his shift, his friends raised the alarm with police and his family back home.
Kevin Ainley (pictured), from Lancashire, went missing in June 2004, having moved to Playa de las Americas in March that year.
His passport and personal belongings were later found in his apartment, but he has never been found.
In 2016, his sister Brooke said the family was 'desperate for answers'. She told the BBC: 'It is no exaggeration to say we have been put through 12 years of hell. Somebody must know something'.
In 2005, two British police officers from Lancashire travelled to Tenerife to help Spanish police - but no substantial leads were discovered.
They appealed to anyone regarding a possible altercation between Kevin and staff at the Cafe Del Moar in the early hours of the morning he vanished.
He was wearing a dark t-shirt and blue Ellesse tracksuit when he went missing. He is described as 5ft 10in, medium build, with blue eyes and brown short hair. He also has distinctive tattoos including the name 'Kevin', a little devil and a Native American woman on his arm.
Peter Wilson
The father-of-two lay undiscovered in Tenerife for almost two years after taking one wrong turn on his way home.
The 34-year-old had travelled to the island on March 22 2019 from Dublin and checked into the Malibu Park Hotel, Costa Adeja, in Santa Crus.
The following day, he went to watch the Ireland vs Gibraltar game in nearby Playa de las Americas.
He returned to his hotel in the afternoon before heading back to the party resort that evening.
Peter was last spotted close to where the taxi dropped him off before vanishing without a trace.
His devastated family travelled to Tenerife to try and find him and launched a Facebook group.
Amid fears he had been kidnapped or murdered, Peter's body was eventually discovered after it emerged he fell down a steep drop next to a shopping centre.
Peter Wilson lay undiscovered in Tenerife for almost two years after taking one wrong turn on his way home. His body was eventually found after he fell down a steep drop by a shopping mall
His devastated mother Jacky Wilson told the Irish Sunday Mirror in 2021: 'On January 11, my nephews called to tell us that human remains had been discovered in Tenerife.
'No words can describe the utter devastation and heartbreak we felt that day, as we always held that little glimmer of hope that he would walk through the door.
'That hope was dashed but, after the shock, there was a great sense of relief that finally, after nearly two years of searching, we would get to bring him home.
'Peter's death was the result of a tragic accident. No foul play is suspected so that's a big relief to us. He obviously got disoriented and lost his way.'
How the shady criminal underworld of Tenerife is rife with ruthless British drug dealers battling Italian mafia for control of the drugs trade - as search for Jay Slater continues
By Nick Pisa in Tenerife
Ruthless British drug dealers are fighting with the Italian mafia for control of the drugs trade in Tenerife where Jay Slater vanished three weeks ago, MailOnline can reveal.
With no sign of Jay since he disappeared in the early hours of June 17 after a three -day music festival, there are fears that he has somehow been sucked into the holiday island's murky underground world.
Every summer thousands of British tourists - mainly youngsters - head to the sunshine island to celebrate the end of their exams, drawn by a magnet of sandy beaches, vibrant nightclubs, cheap alcohol and even cheaper drugs.
But beneath that seemingly innocent party scene, there is a bitter fight for control of the islands' lucrative drug trade with criminal gangs from Italy and the UK battling for supremacy in the supply of drugs in Costa Adeje and in Playa de las Americas where Jay was last seen.
Italian crime gangs from notorious syndicates like the Mafia, Camorra, and 'Ndrangheta have long controlled the island's lucrative narcotics trade.
The disappearance of British teenager Jay Slater in Tenerife has shone a spotlight on the holiday island's dance music scene and its lucrative drugs trade. Jay is pictured here in the early hours of the morning on June 17 at Papagayo nightclub on the notorious Veronicas Strip
Like thousands of young holidaymakers every year, Jay partied on Veronicas Strip in Playa de las Americas. Rubbish is strewn on the strip where the sale of drugs is rife
MailOnline found evidence of drugs when they visited the strip in Playa de las Americas, where Jay was staying before he went missing almost three weeks ago
British drug dealers are fighting the Italian mafia for control over the island's drug trade. Street dealers with drugs hidden in their bum bags roam the strip to sell drugs to young ravers
A party balloon seen dumped on Veronicas Strip in Playa de las Americas
Veronicas Strip is in the popular party resort of Playa de las Americas, Tenerife
Gang experts have said in the past Italian organised crime groups are increasingly working with local criminals to bring cocaine into Europe from Latin America – often using the Canary Islands as a staging post of illegal shipments.
A Europol statement said these 'Ndrangheta gangsters would routinely use 'violence and torture' to intimidate their rivals.
A trip along the hedonistic seafront Veronicas Strip in the popular party resort of Playa de las Americas throws you into a world of pubs, nightclub and cannabis bars – with street dealers pushing MDMA, ketamine, cocaine and who knows what, thrown in for good measure.
Dipping into their bum bags, the mainly young dealers who have been recruited by the Mr Bigs, pull out wraps of powder and pills. The streets are littered with little plastic bags.
Gangs from London, Manchester and Liverpool have begun muscling in on the patch long held by Italian crime gangs - who are now turning increasingly to property and construction to launder their money - and it is known that Jay, 19, spent time in the company of convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim.
An expat source on the island said: 'The big players are still the Italians when it comes to organised crime and money laundering but now others are moving in and there are a lot of British gangs, mainly from London, Liverpool and Manchester.
'They know it makes sense as most of the holidaymakers are from Britain so they can hone in on them and it's a nice easy transaction and it makes them a lot of money.
'It's getting really tribal on Veronicas and it's not the sort of place you want to hang around too long in at night, I won't let my daughter go there because it's a jungle.'
Organised crime expert Professor Anna Sergi says the feared 'Ndrangheta, said to be considered one of the most powerful organised crime groups in the world, is the main Mafia-type crime organisation operating in Southern Spain.
Before Jay went missing he spent time with convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim, 31, and another mystery man. Qassim (pictured) was jailed nine years ago for being the ringleader of a sophisticated operation to flood the streets of Wales with heroin and crack cocaine
Qassim is pictured in front of a poster of his close friend Jamel Bousbaa, a drill rapper who goes by the name Potter Payper. Bousbaa runs a cannabis cafe in Tenerife - and was jailed for running his own county lines drug-dealing network from east London
Qassim was pictured on stage with Bousbaa at the MOBO Awards. Bousbaa was jailed for five years in 2018 for his drugs operation in east London - where Qaasim grew up
Jay, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, travelled to the Canary Islands for a musical festival with his friends
Professor Sergi told MailOnline: 'Camorra clans and some Ndrangheta clans are historically involved in organised crime in southern Spain mostly, with local groups and brokers for cocaine and hashish.
'It is also a place where drug money can be laundered.
'It is always about drug brokerage necessary because of drug routes and it is about some money laundering venture in real estate mainly - mainly from the Camorra.'
The Ndrangheta group tends to keep a lower profile than other Mafia-type organisations but it's hugely successful.
They reportedly made €53billion profit in 2013 alone. Spain's Balearic Islands are well known for drug trafficking – a senior member of the De Micco clan was recently caught running drugs into Ibiza.
But anywhere that tourists gather is a prime target for drug dealers: a member of the clan Mazzarella (from San Giovanni a Teduccio, Naples) was recently arrested on drugs offences in Gran Canaria.
Eight Mafia gangsters, as well as a Colombian cartel boss, were arrested in a major operation on Tenerife in December.
An armed police raid on a Tenerife villa uncovered some 950 kilos of uncut cocaine, as well as a stash of weapons and €12,000 in cash.
One of the last men to see Jay before he vanished was Ayub Qassim, 31, who drove the 19-year-old back to his Airbnb in the early hours of June 17.
Qassim was jailed for nine years in 2015 for being the mastermind of an attempt to flood Wales with Class A drugs.
A close friend of Qassim is Jamel Bousbaa, a drill rapper who goes by the name Potter Payper.
A map showing Jay Slater's last known movements before he disappeared
Bousbaa was sentenced to five years in 2018 for running his own county lines drug dealing network from east London – the area where he and Qassim grew up.
He was involved in what Ipswich Crown Court was told was the 'Frankie Line' which saw heroin and crack cocaine leave London and be distributed throughout Clacton, Essex.
He now runs a popular cannabis store in Playa de las Americas called Potter's Garden, which sells multiple types of marijuana.
When MailOnline found the club, two British men approached and asked, 'What do you need?', before reeling off a shopping list of drugs.
Not everyone in Tenerife is happy with his success.
A video posted online in May shows Potter's Garden being broken into by a rival gang. Bousbaa's awards were ripped off the walls and windows smashed.
The clip shows an intruder in the café saying: 'We are live. We've got your f****** plaques, p****.'
Then the camera pans to show a cabinet of mobile telephones and drug paraphernalia, with the male voice adding: 'Yah, yah, take all the pre-rolls, take all the f****** weed as well.
'I'm taking the PS5 as well you p****, thought you could do bad boy?' My show man, live, live.'
Jay (right) pictured alongside his mother Debbie and brother Zak (left) who flew out to Tenerife after his disappearance
Missing Jay posted a final picture at 7.30am on Snapchat from the house of 'two English lads' an hour before phoning his friend Lucy. The video was taken on the same doorstep as Qassim's video
Lucy Law (pictured) was one of the last people to hear from Jay and had gone to a festival with him the night before he disappeared
The club is less than ten minutes' walk from Papagayo, the nightclub where Jay was last pictured in a trance like state and from where he left with Qassim and another man who has not been identified.
There is no suggestion that the men are involved in Jay's disappearance and Spanish police have deemed them as 'irrelevant' – but there is undoubtedly a drugs element to the mystery.
Cannabis possession for personal use is legal via a loophole in the Canary Islands, and that has led to the springing up of dozens of cannabis cafes in Tenerife with British users flocking there.
Spanish law allows the cultivation and consumption of cannabis for personal use however it is illegal to sell or traffic cannabis in public places, but cafes allow 'members' to smoke there.
Users have to pay a 'membership fee' usually round 20 Euros which is used to grow cannabis and there they can buy and smoke cannabis. Alcohol is strictly banned.
To keep it all above board, sales are carried out using an App – which is preloaded with credit – and users have to spent at least 20 minutes inside on each visit.
A website called WeedTenerife highlights the best clubs on the island.
What happened to Jay three weeks ago remains a mystery. But his family believe drugs 'are a worrying aspect' of the affair – and his case highlights the darker side of the island's nightlife.
