An international drug investigation dubbed “Operation Pertinax” has led Spanish and U.S. authorities to arrest 21 individuals. Among those detained in Ibiza on Wednesday, August 26th is Miami-based DJ and producer Hugo Bianco, according to reports. He allegedly headed up a group charged with trafficking MDMA, ketamine, cannabis and ecstasy pills from several parts of Spain to Florida.
NIUS Diario reports that the Balearic Islands’ Civil Guard began the operation in October of 2019 after discovering that human mules transported the drugs by hiding them in their luggage. In a joint action with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, three of the 21 individuals were arrested in Miami with 15kg of MDMA and 14kg of liquid ketamine.
Then came the searches in Spain. According to The Ibizan, police said they approached Bianco’s residence in the White Isle’s Jesus village on Wednesday, and one of his co-conspirators pointed a shotgun at them. The man stood down upon realizing they didn’t belong to a rival gang, but Bianco allegedly began flushing drugs down the toilet before they entered. Authorities still managed to find 8kg of ketamine and ecstasy, 38kg of cut and cured cannabis, 4,500 cannabis plants, and €45,000 in cash. They also seized a vehicle modified to smuggle drugs between the Spanish Peninsula and Balearic Islands along with computers, tools and other devices.
Properties in Barcelona, Girona and Palma have also been targeted in Operation Pertinax, bringing the total number of raided residences to eight. These searches have turned up 15kg of MDMA, 14kg of liquid ketamine, and 120,000 ecstasy pills. Authorities estimate that in three years’ time, Bianco and company would have 2 million pills in total.
Hugo Bianco’s Double Life
Sources familiar with the matter posit “without any doubt that Bianco was the head of the group,” according to La Vanguardia. Amid the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, his operation had allegedly scaled down to distribution in private villa parties.
It has been reported by outlets like Nou Diary and Cadena SER that Bianco, who runs CLOCK Recordings and is a resident DJ at Music On, leveraged his nightlife connections to facilitate his illegal operations. According to a source who spoke with Selector on the condition of anonymity, the opposite is true. They recount that Bianco was a drug dealer first, arguing that he owes his rapid ascent in the music industry to the wealth he amassed as a drug dealer.
A spokesperson on behalf of Hugo Bianco did not immediately respond to Selector‘s request for comment.
