Eleven people have been arrested in Spain, accused of being part of a transnational organised crime syndicate trafficking illicit drugs to Australia. Raids were conducted at nine locations across Barcelona and Ibiza following an international police investigation.
The arrests were the culmination of Operation Helidon, which was launched following the discovery by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers of about 1.5 kilograms of ketamine hidden in a package of Christmas toys, which arrived in Perth from Spain on Christmas day in 2023.
The investigation led to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) charging a 27-year-old Italian national over his role in the plan to import the drug. He was convicted and sentenced in October 2024 to three years imprisonment on trafficking charges.
Encrypted messages on a mobile phone seized by the AFP were allegedly linked to a 39-year-old Italian national living in Spain. Police also seized another eight airmail consignments sent to Australia, which contained a total of 15 kilograms of the drug.
The phone, forensic examination of the packages, and other inquiries not only linked the 39-year-old to the multiple consignments but also provided evidence that identified potential additional suspects, which was provided to Spain’s Guardia Civil in February 2024.
An investigation by Spanish authorities, with support from the AFP, resulted in the Guardia Civil and the Mossos d'Esquarda (Catalonian Police) leading to their executing search warrants on Dec. 11, 2024, targeting alleged senior members of the syndicate.
AFP officers were invited to Spain to provide investigative support and were present at the arrests.
During the search warrants, investigators seized methamphetamine, hashish, small amounts of cocaine and “pink cocaine,” as well as precision scales, vacuum sealers, mobile phones, computers, a safe, documents, and cash.
Ketamine is a sedative that can be used legally by medical practitioners and veterinarians, but it is illegal to import it for recreational use. The dissociative effects block sensory brain signals, and effects can include memory loss, nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, and seizures.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Pryce Scanlan said the successful disruption of an international crime organisation showed what could be achieved when law enforcement agencies worked together across borders to combat transnational serious organised crime.
“Drug trafficking syndicates cause harm in every country they operate in—they impact national security and financial systems, and the downstream impacts of illicit drug use contribute to the road toll, family violence, and pressure on busy hospitals,” he said.
“While some airmail imports may seem like relatively small amounts of illicit substances, any amount can cause significant harm. Users never know exactly what they’re ingesting, what strength the drugs are, or what else has been mixed in.
“Criminals are not constrained by international borders, and that is why it is so important for law enforcement agencies to work together to tackle them.”
