Ibiza is a popular destination for Brits looking to party in the sun, but the island has a dark side with a number of tourist deaths and a rise in pink cocaine in recent years
If you browse Ibiza-related hashtags on social media you’ll encounter sun-kissed youngsters – alongside the occasional snap of the Final Boss or, naturally, Wayne Lineker.
Yet beneath the glossy Instagram facade lies a more sinister reality for the tiny island home to 50,000 residents. Between 2010 and 2023, 197 Brits died there, according to the latest data from the Institute of Statistics of the Balearic Islands. August and September emerged as the deadliest months.
This year alone, another six Brits travelled to Ibiza never to return home alive, including a 22-year-old who plummeted from his hotel balcony.
San Antonio (Sant Antoni de Portmany) has witnessed the majority of these tragic accidents and serves as the hub for the island’s renowned bars and nightclubs.
Wayne Lineker’s O Beach Club sits along the bay there, having drawn big names including Liverpool boss Arne Slot and England footballers Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham.
Five of the six fatalities mentioned happened in San Antonio, with several locals sharing their concerns with The Times about potential underlying dangers.
Manuel Sendino Lopez, who oversees the Ibiza and Formentera Hotel Federation, told the publication: “It is true that there has been an increase in accidental deaths among young people, possibly due to alcohol and drug use and age-related recklessness.
“These events cause us immense pain, as we think about the families of these young people, but they unfortunately happen every year.”
He noted that Ibiza, with its high population of young people, was prone to incidents just like any other tourist hotspot.
A local pharmacy worker shared unsettling tales of inebriated youngsters approaching him, gasping for breath. He also mentioned that twice a week, individuals would turn up in a state of confusion after consuming an unknown substance.
Former Love Island star Zara McDermott journeyed to Ibiza to explore its darker underbelly for a documentary, noting the allure of partygoers for drug dealers and organised crime syndicates.
While filming for Ibiza: Secrets of the Party Island, she accompanied Guardia Civil officers, even witnessing them rush to a Rolex theft incident.
She said: “It was shocking when it happened. We got the call and we were there within a minute on the strip. I felt so sorry for this guy, he had been on his phone to his wife and a guy had taken the watch. He tried to run after him and fell over. He was quite shaken up.”
Regarding drugs, she interviewed a dealer who had been operating in Ibiza for 18 years, who revealed that those in his line of work could rake in €50,000 every summer.
The presenter disclosed: “When I post I am in Ibiza, I actually had people posting and offering me drugs. It is interesting how people are using social media to sell drugs.
“It is not just something you find down a back alley, it is on your Instagram. Everyone knows drugs exist everywhere and are somewhat part of Ibiza culture, but having been sat in the back of a police car many times and learning… street dealers are making huge amounts of money because they are taking the risk.”
Over 800,000 Brits descend upon Ibiza annually, and recently there’s been a documented surge in pink cocaine – a substance that has its roots in Medellin, Colombia.
This dangerous concoction may include elements of MDMA or ketamine, opiates and cocaine, potentially triggering blurred vision, panic episodes, anxiety, strokes and cardiac complications.
A police insider told the Majorca Daily Bulletin: “It’s so powerful that it causes severe hypertension and can lead to heart failure. It’s a bomb because it is ecstasy and amphetamines in powder form. People don’t know what they are consuming.”
British holidaymakers represent a fifth of all international visitors to Ibiza, with IBESTAT figures showing tourists splash out over €3billion annually on the party destination.
Yet July brought devastating heartbreak when two Scottish lads, Evan Thomson, 26, and Gary Kelly 19, died within a fortnight of each other.
Both tragically plunged from balconies at the renowned Ibiza Rocks hotel in unrelated incidents.
Following Evan’s death, his friends and family were appalled that regular activities continued merely 90 minutes afterwards, while also slamming social media content posted within hours advertising a pool party. His mate, Blair Robertson, told the Press and Journal: “We heard the jet washes from the ground cleaning the area where Evan died and it had only been 90 minutes or so since he was found. That was the worst thing for us to hear – how fast they tried to get things back to normal.”
After the tragedy, a spokesperson for the Ibiza Rocks Hotel, which has hosted musicians like Dizzie Rascal and Calvin Harris, said: “This is a truly tragic and extremely sad situation. Our senior management team onsite did everything possible to help the police with their investigation into events leading up to Evan’s death, and to provide constant support from our customer services manager to Evan’s friends.
“That has included them having 24-hour access to our senior manager for any help or questions and giving them permission to pass on her mobile number to Evan’s family should they wish to call us direct. They were very appreciative of all the help and support at such a difficult time. We are deeply saddened by Evan’s death and our thoughts continue to be with his family and friends at this truly difficult time.”
Evan, from Aberdeen, passed away days after another Brit died in hospital following a fall from a supermarket car park in San Antonio.
And just two weeks after Evan fell from the sixth floor balcony, Gary Kelly, from Dundee, lost his life after falling from the third floor of the same hotel.
The hotel is not implicated in any accidental deaths and maintains a strict policy against drugs and inappropriate behaviour.
A survey conducted last year revealed that 54% of UK nationals in Ibiza admitted to using drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine, cannabis, ketamine, and amphetamine.
Recently, the Ibiza ambulance service has reported being on the brink of collapse due to an influx of drug-related incidents. The ambulance workers’ union stated that nightclub emergencies account for a third of their nightly callouts, and they are ill-equipped to handle the volume of incidents.
The union has urged club owners to hire private ambulance services to alleviate the problem. José Manuel Maroto, president of the local health services union, told elDiarios.es: “It’s inconceivable that businesses with an income of millions of euros a year can’t provide this service which is saturating the emergency services at the expense of the local population.
“The clubs are obliged to employ nurses and other health workers but not ambulances, the cost of which is borne by public services.”
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