Brit couple arrested on the Costa del Sol after leaving kids to party, youngest allegedly tests positive for cocaine

A British couple holidaymaking in a Costa del Sol hotel have been arrested after allegedly leaving their three young children alone in the hotel to go out partying. According to local reports, the youngest of the children, a six-month-old baby, tested positive for cocaine.

‘Worrying’ situation: Hotel room a mess and three young children abandoned

According to sources close to the investigation, the situation the kids were found in was “worrying.” Reportedly, the hotel room was in disarray, and the eldest child, just four years old, was left to care for the two younger siblings while the father, aged 41, and the mother, aged 28, had gone out to party.

The hotel they were staying at, while it has not been named by sources or authorities close to the investigation, is a “very large hotel complex” located in the popular holiday hotspot of Benalmadena, in Malaga.

Children are now in temporary care and being checked in hospital

The three young children, aged four, two, and six months old, have been taken into temporary social services care in Spain, in Malaga’s Materno Infantil Hospital for medical check-ups. Local outlets report that the baby tested positive for cocaine, but police have not yet released a statement on the matter.

Parents of children taken into custody and awaiting trial

Local police have not yet revealed if they waited for the parents to return to the hotel before arresting them, or if they were located as they were out. They were allegedly apprehended in the early hours of Thursday, June 11. They are being held in custody on suspicion of child abandonment, according to a spokesman for the Spanish National Police.

Outlets close to the investigation also report that on Friday, June 12, the parents of the three young children are set to be taken to court for a first hearing before a judge, but this has also not been confirmed.

Child abandonment in Spain: A warning for parents and holidaymakers amid partying and drinking culture

The perturbing case comes as a reminder for holidaymaking tourists relaxing on the Costa del Sol’s beaches to properly look after young children in their care, amid other incidents of child abandonment as peak season comes into full swing and partying culture, increased alcohol consumption and rowdy holidaymakers multiply in popular tourist hotspots like Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol.