Montenegrin Former Heavyweight Boxer Gogic Charged by US DOJ with Trafficking 22 Tons of Cocaine

21:54 GMT, 1 November 2022

Mary Manley

Goran Gogic, 43, was a boxer from 2001 to 2012 and fought primarily in Germany. The heavyweight ended his career with a record of 21 wins, four losses and two draws. In 2019, Gogic allegedly oversaw the trafficking of over $1 billion worth of cocaine through a United States port. On Sunday he was arrested at Miami International Airport.

Sputnik

On Monday the US Department of Justice charged the former athlete with three counts of violating the federal Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act as well as one count of conspiracy for allegedly trafficking 22 tons of cocaine worth over $1 billion through US ports in June of 2019, which prosecutors are saying is one of the largest drug seizures in history.

Gogic, a citizen of Montenegro, was arrested on Sunday while trying to board a flight to Zurich at Miami International Airport, following an indictment by a grand jury in New York.

Prosecutors allege that Gogic oversaw the trafficking in an effort to benefit himself and his cartels in the Balkans.

“Gogic, as alleged, is a major drug trafficker who, along with his criminal associates, is responsible for overseeing long-range narcotics transportation on container ships as well as the wholesale distribution of cocaine throughout Europe. Today’s arrest sends a message to narcotraffickers worldwide that they are not free to hijack international maritime commerce with impunity,” stated Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Homeland Security Investigation's Field Office in New York.

At least three commercial cargo ships were seized with 22 tons of cocaine. Some 19.8 tons (17,956 kilograms) of the cocaine was seized at a cargo ship named the MSC Gayane which was docked at the Philadelphia Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in 2019. Gayane was destined for the Netherlands after first receiving its contents in Colombia.

Prosecutors say that other seizures of the shipments were found at ports in New York, New Jersey, Panama, and Peru, as well as other countries. Prosecutors also allege that various crew members would have been needed to transport the vast amounts of cocaine onto the ships.

“Gogic allegedly conspired with drug suppliers, ships' crewmembers, and port workers to traffic massive quantities of cocaine through the US to Europe via commercial cargo ships," said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division.

Each charge carries with it a mandatory 10-year prison term, as well as a possible life sentence. Gogic’s lawyer says the charges “came as a surprise to him” and that he “maintains his innocence, and had come to the US for a boxing convention in Puerto Rico.” Thus far, eight crew members have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges.