Inside Tenerife’s Mafia underworld as Brit teen nonetheless lacking on island

The Canary Islands have become a hotspot for Italian organised crime groups such as the Mafia, the Camorra and the ‘Ndrangheta, experts fear.

Tenerife, long viewed by Brits as just another Spanish holiday destination, is revealing its darker side as investigators delve into the disappearance of Lancashire teen Jay Slater. Local police are exploring all possibilities, including theories that he may have been abducted.

Gang experts have previously stated that Italian organised crime groups are increasingly collaborating with local criminals to smuggle cocaine from Latin America into Europe, often using the Canary Islands as a transit point for illegal shipments. A statement from Europol revealed that these ‘Ndrangheta gangsters routinely employ “violence and torture” to intimidate their rivals.

READ MORE: Holiday hotspot a ‘Mafia state’ where journalist was ‘assassinated’ in car bomb attack

“The presence of Italian Mafia groups across Spain is multidimensional,” says organised crime expert Professor Anna Sergi. “The lifestyle, similar climate, and language are considered some of the reasons why Italian Mafia members have often chosen Spain as new country of activity and residence.”

Professor Sergi revealed that the notorious ‘Ndrangheta, considered one of the world’s most powerful organised crime syndicates, is the primary Mafia-style criminal organisation operating in Southern Spain. Despite maintaining a low profile compared to other Mafia groups, it’s incredibly successful, reportedly raking in a staggering €53billion profit in 2013 alone, reports the Mirror.

Spain’s Balearic Islands are infamous for drug trafficking a high-ranking member of the De Micco clan was recently nabbed smuggling drugs into Ibiza. However, any tourist hotspot is a prime target for drug peddlers: a member of the Mazzarella clan (from San Giovanni a Teduccio, Naples) was recently detained on drug charges in Gran Canaria.

In a major operation on Tenerife in December, eight Mafia mobsters and a Colombian cartel kingpin were arrested. A police raid on a Tenerife villa uncovered a whopping 950 kilos of uncut cocaine, an arsenal of weapons and €12,000 in cash.

Last August, Spanish police and Europol busted another Mafia-linked criminal network believed to be trafficking massive shipments of cocaine through the Canary Islands, thanks to a 700kg cocaine seizure.

The Italian nationals, who lived a life of luxury despite having no apparent income, were caught sailing their plush yacht north-west of Gran Canaria. Officials say the operation highlighted the “geostrategic importance” of the Canary Islands in international drug trafficking.

A report from local media reveals that 13 blokes were nabbed with a whopping 5kg of cocaine, 94kg of hashish, and 26,000 euros in cash. They were allegedly ferrying the drugs by sea from Agaete in Gran Canaria to Santa Cruz on Tenerife before spreading it across the island.

In a massive crackdown, synchronised police swoops in Ibiza, Barcelona, Malaga, and Tenerife led to the arrest of 32 suspected members of the notorious ‘Ndrangheta mob in September 2022. The group is infamous for their links to torture and murder.

Europol released a statement saying: “The investigation uncovered the existence in the Balearic Islands in Spain of an organised crime group linked to the ‘Ndrangheta syndicate. The criminal gang is believed to have played an active role in cocaine and cannabis trafficking in between Spain and Italy, using vehicles equipped with hidden compartments and speedboats to transport the drugs.”

“The members of this criminal organisation would routinely use violence, including torture, to further their criminal goals. Some of the arrestees are linked to a number of murders in Italy. The investigation also uncovered the illegal possession of firearms by some members of this gang. The criminal profits were reinvested into real estate in Spain to hide their illegal origin, polluting the legal economy.”

In addition to drug trafficking, a significant amount of Mafia money is being laundered through seemingly legitimate investments in Tenerife, says Professor Sergi. She writes that a member of the Nuvoletta clan was arrested in 2019 over property speculation linked to the development of a new flat block in Santa Cruz, Tenerife’s capital.

Local crooks are working closely with Mafia-style groups, providing logistical support, according to Professor Sergi. A Tenerife-based organised crime group with Mafia connections, involved in online fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking, and property crime, is believed to have illegally pocketed more than €10 million in profit in 2020 alone, Europol figures suggest.

The cash was laundered through “a wide network of money mules and shell companies,” the agency revealed. Southern Spain and its sun-drenched islands have become the front line in the international law enforcement’s fight against an increasingly globalised drug trade.

Marcos Frias, head of Spain’s Central Organised Crime Brigade, told the Guardian: “The Costa del Sol is a kind of hub, or ‘co-working’ space, where almost every major criminal group in the world has some sort of presence.”

He further stated: “It’s a UN of criminals for a globalised world. Marbella is a tourist brand, but it’s also a criminal brand. If a crime boss from Liverpool wants to traffic drugs on a large scale, he knows he has to make an appearance in Marbella. He doesn’t have a choice.”