A Colombian student operating a sophisticated drug trafficking business in Melbourne using QR codes on 'Thanos'-themed business cards has walked free from court despite pleading guilty to a raft of serious charges.
The 'Thanos' Party Supply Front
Daniel Alejandro Latriglia Salcedo, 21, was in Australia on a student visa when he established his illicit enterprise. The operation used business cards featuring the comic book character Thanos, a near-invincible warlord from Marvel films and the Netflix series *Squid Game*. These cards contained QR codes that potential customers could scan to access drug price lists and place orders via the Telegram messaging service.
Salcedo, of Pascoe Vale in Melbourne's north, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty to trafficking a range of drugs, including cocaine, cannabis, ketamine, ecstasy, and LSD.
Police Raids Uncover an 'Aladdin's Cave'
The court heard how police first intercepted Salcedo just after midnight on October 18 in Brighton East. He was pulled over in a black Hyundai iX35, where officers immediately smelt cannabis. A search uncovered cannabis, ecstasy pills, amphetamine capsules, LSD tabs, about $2,000 in cash, and the distinctive 'Thanos' business cards.
After being arrested and bailed, Salcedo's shared Pascoe Vale unit was raided by police on December 9. The search revealed what was described as an 'Aladdin's cave' of illicit substances and equipment. Officers found:
- Large quantities of cannabis, including buds and THC edibles like brownies.
- Suspected cocaine and ketamine powders.
- MDMA pills and LSD strips.
- Magic mushrooms.
- Multiple laptops and phones.
- Over $4,000 in cash, including counterfeit notes.
- More 'Thanos' business cards.
This led to fresh charges, including dealing with the proceeds of crime, possessing counterfeit money, and committing an indictable offence while on bail.
A 'Very Lucky' Escape from Prison and Deportation
Despite the severity of the offences, Salcedo was sentenced to a 14-month community corrections order, 75 hours of community work, and a $500 fine. He was seen walking freely from the courthouse along William Street afterwards, with no immediate intervention from immigration officials.
Magistrate Leon Fluxman told Salcedo he was 'very lucky' not to receive a prison term, which would typically be expected for trafficking multiple drugs. The decision considered his lack of prior convictions and early guilty plea.
Salcedo's lawyers had argued against a conviction, stating a jail sentence would trigger mandatory consideration for visa cancellation under the Migration Act. The minister has discretionary power to cancel a visa if a person fails the 'good character test'.
The court heard Salcedo developed a drug habit as a teenager in Colombia. He claimed a relationship breakdown, isolation, and family separation led to a relapse in Australia. He stated he began buying in bulk for personal use and sold to friends to fund his habit and survive financially.
The 'Thanos' character on his cards was notably played by controversial former K-pop rapper T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyun) in the second season of *Squid Game*, adding a layer of pop-culture reference to the criminal scheme.
