‘I noticed Tenerife’s seedy facet – Brits get into hassle by stepping on fallacious toes’

A woman who lived in Tenerife for two summers has spoken out about the Spanish island’s seedy underbelly, as the search for missing British teen Jay Slater continues.

Ciara O’Loughlin, from Ireland, jetted off to the island after her second year of university, aged 20 with a friend.

They started working in bars, while living in an apartment a stone’s throw from all the action in Playa De Las Americas, party central for the island. 

READ MORE: ‘Why would Jay Slater hide himself’ asks desperate dad as he blasts Spanish cops

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As the two youngsters embraced their first taste of freedom, taking advantage of the island’s beaches, cheap drinks and party vibes, Ciara became aware of a “serious drug underworld operating on the island”.

Writing for the Irish Mirror, Ciara said: “It’s not hard to see how some Irish and Brits abroad can get caught up in trouble by innocently stepping on the wrong toes.”

Ciara recalls drinking on the job was not just encouraged but was an expectation for the bar staff. 

She said: “In these bars aimed at tourists, bartenders are expected to do more than serve drinks. We had to be fun and upbeat, and when the bar crawls came in it was time to stand on the bar and teach several dances before pouring shots into their mouths.”

Other bars, Ciara noted, had resident dealers that worked in that particular venue for the night.

She said: “I saw many young people working on the strip getting into sticky situations with these dealers and I don’t think they realised the potential danger they were putting themselves in. If they referred a tourist looking for drugs to a dealer, they would receive €10 (£8.50).

“Looking back, I can now see how myself and my friend sometimes had to beg for tips to be able to afford water – while others appeared to be living more comfortable lifestyles.”

Ciara added that while the two summers she spent in Tenerife were “certainly ones to remember”, she felt “lucky” she “didn’t run into any serious trouble”, apart from when her handbag was snatched from her as she walked home.

She acknowledges that every destination has their issues, but warns “party places appear to run in their own little lawless societies”.

For young people, such as Jay, who was on his first trip away with pals when he disappeared without a trace more than three weeks ago, Ciara offers the following advice.

“To any young people going on your first party holiday, have a ball, but have your wits about you.”

Despite extensive searches, Jay, a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire, remains missing after disappearing without a trace more than three weeks ago.

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