Ayub Qassim, one of the last people to see Jay Slater before his death in Tenerife, has married Paige Crisp, a 24-year-old convicted drug smuggler facing a lengthy prison sentence. The couple wed in a traditional Islamic ceremony in Thailand last year, where Crisp and her gang had smuggled drugs from.
Crisp was convicted last week at Birmingham Crown Court, along with 10 other Britons, for her role in an attempt to import cannabis worth almost £14 million. The gang was stopped by Border Force after 460kg of cannabis was discovered in 22 suitcases.
Wedding in Thailand
Qassim, 33, who served a nine-year prison sentence for masterminding a drugs operation that flooded Wales with Class A drugs, married the single mum in 2025. Photos posted on social media show the couple together, with Crisp appearing dressed for a wedding in one image, henna tattoos visible on her hands.
In one clip, Qassim posted: "I never knew how powerful love was until it came to me, in the form of you."
Jay Slater's disappearance
Jay Slater, a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer, went missing on June 17, 2024, while attending a music festival in Tenerife on his first holiday without his parents. Qassim invited him back to his AirBnB after a rave, and along with friend Steven Roccas gave him a lift to their cottage. The teen set off for a bus the next morning with little battery on his mobile phone.
His body was found after a search lasting 29 days. He had suffered a catastrophic fall after a night out with pals on his way back to his accommodation.
Smuggling conviction
Crisp, from Malvern, Worcestershire, was one of 11 Brits arrested at Birmingham Airport on August 9, 2024, after travelling from Thailand via Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Each gang member carried two large suitcases containing around 20kg of cannabis, so heavy the group paid an excess baggage charge at Bangkok Airport to place them in the aircraft's hold.
On August 19, Crisp was convicted of attempting to carry, remove, deposit, harbour, keep, conceal and deal with Class B drugs with intent to evade prohibition on importing. She appeared in court with Tasia Nelson, 22, of Newquay, Cornwall, and Jaden Ramen, 23, of Merton, London. The three are due to be sentenced on October 22.
Adam Chatfield, Head of Border Force Midlands Command, said: "These convictions should be a stark warning to anyone considering bringing cannabis into the UK. The young people involved now face a serious crime on their records, damaging their job prospects and life chances."
He added: "More than ever, we are working closely with law enforcement partners in the UK and overseas to combat drug smuggling, keep our communities safe and our borders secure."
