18-year-old Spanish woman accused of kidnapping in Mexico after celebrating her birthday at a drug farm
Yaiza, from Madrid, was detained in Mexico accused of kidnapping a friend at a party. She faces between 40 and 80 years in prison.
18-year-old Spanish woman accused of kidnapping in Mexico after celebrating her birthday at a drug farm
A birthday celebration trip to Mexico turned into a judicial nightmare for Yaiza, a young woman from Madrid who travelled to the North American country to celebrate her 18th birthday. The teenager now faces a formal kidnapping charge that could result in forty to eighty years in prison.
Days before arriving in Mexican territory, Yaiza and a friend had been invited by a group of acquaintances to celebrate the anniversary at a property located in the municipality of Ixtapan de La Sal, according to Correio da Manhã citing sources from El Mundo.
The estate, known as "Los Leones", was a regular venue for events called "Sin censura". The Mexican Public Ministry indicated that at these parties substances such as "Coco Chanel" and "Tusi"—pink cocaine—were sold, along with performances with erotic content for attendees with high purchasing power.
On 17 September 2025, high-profile personnel alerted the Navy and agents from the Security Secretariat of the State of Mexico about a Spanish young woman who claimed to feel uncomfortable and was being prevented from leaving the celebration. Witnesses stated that the hosts had allegedly threatened the young woman with throwing her to the lions—a male and three females that inhabited the property—if she attempted to flee.
The authorities travelled to the location, about two hours by car, and carried out an operation. The celebration was interrupted and Yaiza was not able to avoid arrest. In total, seven people were arrested, including Yaiza, another woman, two Venezuelan men and a Mexican.
The Public Ministry accused Yaiza of participating in the kidnapping of her friend, a crime punished in Mexico with sentences of forty to eighty years in prison. The gravity of the charge led the Mexican justice system to order preventive detention for the young woman from Madrid.
Cecibel Meléndez, Yaiza's mother, stated to RTVE that the kidnapping "never occurred" and that her daughter had no involvement in the events. The mother claimed to have spoken with the victim, who allegedly told her that she "went through difficult moments and was never kidnapped, she was simply in a place where she no longer wanted to stay".
Sources close to Yaiza revealed that the Spanish young woman's friend was under the influence of drug consumption.
Source: Correio da Manhã