Image Source: Boko Shots
An Ibiza court has upheld a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a key figure in an international drug trafficking investigation linked to DJ Hugo Bianco. The High Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands confirmed the ruling against a 54-year-old Argentine national on charges including drug trafficking, membership of a criminal organisation and electricity fraud, according to Spanish media reports. The court also maintained a €3 million fine, with the decision still open to appeal before Spain’s Supreme Court. 
The case forms part of Operation Pertinax, a large-scale Guardia Civil investigation launched in 2020 that resulted in coordinated raids across Ibiza, Barcelona and Girona. Authorities made 21 arrests during the operation and reported the seizure of MDMA, cocaine, ketamine and cannabis, alongside the dismantling of multiple cannabis cultivation sites. The investigation also extended to Miami, where further arrests and drug seizures were carried out as part of a wider international enforcement effort.
Investigators allege that DJ Hugo Bianco played a central role in the organisation, describing him in court documents as the leader of the network. Bianco, who has reportedly performed at venues including Sunwaves, Pacha and 93 Feet East, is accused of using professional contacts developed through his music career to help facilitate trafficking routes between Spain and the United States. He is believed to be residing in Miami and remains a fugitive after failing to appear before the court.
Judges rejected the defendant’s appeal, citing wiretapped communications and additional evidence as supporting his involvement in coordinating shipments to the US. Although Bianco has not been convicted in relation to the case, the ruling forms part of the latest developments in the ongoing Operation Pertinax investigation.
