The dual Colombian and Spanish national was found guilty of drug trafficking by the Basel City criminal court. He will also be expelled from Switzerland for 12 years after serving his sentence.
The defendant was found guilty of drug law violations and money laundering. According to the indictment, the man imported and sold nine tonnes of cocaine between January and August 2020 alone. He was identified through the decryption of data from a discussion forum.
There is sufficient evidence that the defendant is involved in a large-scale cocaine trade, the presiding judge said. She cited the drugs found at his home in Basel, decrypted messages on his mobile phone and transfers of large sums of money to Spain and Colombia.
According to the prosecution, the accused used a fruit-trading company and a pineapple plantation in Colombia to transport large quantities of cocaine into Europe.
During the trial, the defendant rejected all the charges against him. He claimed that he had never dealt in drugs and only admitted keeping 200 grams of cocaine belonging to a friend in his flat and consuming cocaine.
Popular Stories
More
Banking & Fintech
UBS releases ‘hundreds’ of staff in fresh wave of job cuts
Should Switzerland take measures to support its struggling industries?
Industrial policies are back in fashion, not only in the United States but also in the EU. Should Switzerland, where various industries are struggling, draw inspiration from such policies?
Milei orders Argentina’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization
This content was published on
Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, has announced plans to pull the country out of the Geneva-headquartered World Health Organization (WHO).
‘Europe’ initiative halts signature collection to focus on Swiss-EU treaty
This content was published on
The initiative sought to embed Swiss-EU relations in the Federal Constitution, but the organisers have now stopped signature collection.
Swiss study sheds light on link between obesity and metabolic diseases
This content was published on
ETH Zurich researchers collected cells from overweight individuals to identify biological markers that raise the risk of metabolic diseases.
Swiss retail sector sees slight decline despite strong online sales
This content was published on
Black Friday, which performed well in some areas of Switzerland, and Christmas sales could not make up for the losses of previous months.
Over 6,000 Swiss companies go bankrupt but start-ups see growth
This content was published on
Switzerland recorded a spike in bankruptcies last year, but there was also a rise in new start-ups. Trends varied significantly by region and sector.
Basel greenlights funding for Eurovision Village 2025
This content was published on
MCH Group Ltd. is set to receive CHF1 million ($1.1 million) for the Eurovision Village at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel.
Geneva researchers discover potential for targeted cancer drug delivery
This content was published on
Researchers in Geneva have discovered how some bacteria inject dangerous enzymes into cells, potentially enabling targeted drug delivery to cancer cells.
Macron denies involvement in Nestlé Waters scandal
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron denied any “agreement” or “collusion” with the Swiss company Nestlé over the bottled water scandal on Tuesday.
Half a tonne of cocaine seized at Swiss Nespresso factory
This content was published on
Swiss police have seized over 500 kg of cocaine hidden in a container shipped from Brazil to a Nespresso factory in western Switzerland.
‘Movie-plot’ cocaine case highlights shipping industry drug problem
This content was published on
Criminal syndicates take advantage of container shipping lines to smuggle cocaine to Europe. The story of MSC Gayane sheds light on the issue.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.