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Eddie Burton, 23, and Sian Banks, 25, both from Liverpool, have been jailed after orchestrating an audacious international drug operation that was brought down in dramatic fashion inside Ibiza’s famous Pacha nightclub.

 

Burton, who started drug dealing at a very young ages,  went missing as a teenager at 15 before vanishing into mainland Europe, was sentenced to 19 years at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday September 26, while Banks received five years for her role earlier this year.

 

Their operation, which came to public attention after a lengthy National Crime Agency investigation, involved smuggling drugs valued at an astonishing £20 million. In summer 2022, two lorries loaded with enormous quantities of heroin, cocaine and ketamine were intercepted at Dover Port. Border Force officials seized 90 kilos of ketamine and 50 kilos of cocaine packed in boxes and bags from the first lorry on Sunday July 3. Six weeks later, on Friday August 12, officers found a second lorry with 142 kilos of cocaine and 25 kilos of heroin expertly hidden in a modified fuel tank. In total, the authorities seized 307 kilos of drugs, a haul remarkable in scale.

 

Forensic evidence directly linked Burton to the drug consignments and the cleverly converted fuel tank. The manhunt that followed traced his movements across the Netherlands and Spain. He was finally apprehended by Spanish police at a busy Ibiza nightclub in August 2023, where he attempted to evade arrest with a false identity. After extradition via Germany, Burton was returned to the UK in March 2024.

 

Banks, meanwhile, played a key role in the operation, as she regularly travelled to Amsterdam and Spain carrying drugs back in her luggage. Investigators discovered that she also used her network to launder the criminal profits and set up fraudulent Covid-19 travel documents.

 

Burton’s involvement in drug trafficking began exceptionally young. Family and friends recall he started dealing drugs at the age of 10, and by his early teens was already deeply involved before relocating abroad.

 

Authorities believe that the pair’s downfall sends a strong message about serious cross-border crime. “Burton, with Banks’ help, attempted to smuggle huge quantities of harmful drugs into the UK, believing he could operate with impunity overseas,” said NCA Senior Investigating Officer John Turner. “Banks held a crucial role in the criminal enterprise, laundering the illicit profits and acting as the UK-based facilitator for the multi-million pound drug importations.

 

”This case marks the end of one of Britain’s boldest drug trafficking networks, run by two school-age friends who turned organised criminals before reaching their mid-twenties."

 

 

Image: National Crime Agency