"Cheap drugs and unhealthy living": the other side of Ibiza's luxury in Epstein's emails

PalmThe string of hundreds of emails declassified by the U.S. State Department from magnate Jeffrey Epstein reveals the dark side of the luxury tourism industry in Ibiza. Although the authorities of the largest of the Pitiusas Islands have for years boasted of having positioned the island at the heart of this tourist segment, which is assumed to have enormous spending power, the reality also hides bitter lives lived to the extreme. Far from the narrative of white beaches, international DJs, and million-dollar villas, some of the exchanges show a critical and even stark view of the island and the lifestyle enjoyed by certain circles. This is the case of an Epstein associate who writes bluntly that she will never return to Ibiza because "it's too much." In a second, even more explicit email, her recommendations to the recipient can be read: "Go to yoga, not nightclubs with shitty people. Ibiza is cheap drugs, not healthy living." The emails confirm that excess and the normalization of drug use are part of the nightlife at these elite private parties.

This is not conventional tourism or everyday island life, but a very specific circuit: isolated mansions, six-figure weekly rentals, afterparties that never end and a constant flow of models, businessmen, and intermediaries. In this context, drugs are described as easy to obtain and cheap, integrated into a culture of excess that combines economic power, impunity, and a constant search for stimulation.

These kinds of lavish parties are not an exception within the universe surrounding Epstein, but a recurring pattern in other locations within his network—from St. Tropez to New York—where outward glamour coexists with dynamics of unbridled behavior. The difference is that in Ibiza, this intensity seems to be accentuated, according to the email exchanges. The island appeals to many clients as a global leisure destination that perfectly combines discretion, exclusivity, and permissiveness.

The emails provide an insider's perspective that contradicts the superficial narrative of luxury and that, in the last decade, has transformed Ibiza into a highly exclusive destination. In another exchange of messages with Epstein, one interlocutor speaks of late-night parties and excesses, and reminds everyone that "what happens in Ibiza, stays in Ibiza," reinforcing the island's image of permissiveness among the international public.