US Federal authorities have arrested an alleged mastermind drug smuggler, linked to one of the largest cocaine busts in US history, who moved more than 20 tonnes of the drug aboard containerships.
The authorities swooped on Montenegro national Goran Gogic, a former heavyweight boxer, at Miami International Airport as he attempted to board an international flight at the airport on
October 30. He is facing charges as one of the masterminds behind a narco-trafficking plot, allegedly working with crews and port workers, moving more than 20 tonnes of cocaine aboard Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) vessels.
“The arrest and indictment of Goran Gogic, a former boxer allegedly responsible for trafficking a staggering amount of cocaine, more than 20 tons, which he attempted to move through US ports, is a resounding victory for law enforcement,” Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said. Gogic has been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act and three counts of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act.
Federal authorities, cooperating with various agencies, including the New York state and city police, have linked Gogic and his accomplices to multiple drug shipments, including the seizure of
17 956 kg of cocaine, valued at more than $1 billion, aboard the MSC Gayane in June 2019. The recovery was one of the largest cocaine busts in US history. Multiple crew members from the vessel have already been convicted for their involvement in the smuggling ring, but Gogic is the first alleged shipper to be arrested.
Wayne Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal/Cyber division, said Gogic had allegedly conspired with drug suppliers, ships' crew, and port workers to traffic massive quantities of cocaine through the US to Europe via commercial cargo ships.
According to the indictment and other court documents, between May 2018 and July 2019, he conspired with others to distribute massive quantities of cocaine via commercial cargo ships. Gogic coordinated with the sources of the cocaine in Colombia, the crewmembers who transported tons of cocaine on commercial cargo ships on the high seas, and the network of port workers who transported and offloaded the cocaine in Europe via the United States.
Members of the conspiracy loaded the commercial cargo ships at night near the coast and ports, working with crewmembers who would hoist loads of cocaine from speedboats that approached the ships at multiple points along their route.
To physically load the cocaine aboard, they used the ship’s cranes as well as nets. Once the cocaine was on board, the crewmembers would hide it within specific shipping containers that they knew had sufficient room to conceal the large quantities of cocaine and for which they had duplicate counterfeit seals.
They selected the specific containers to be used to conceal the cocaine based, in part, on the containers’ location and orientation, and route and destination on board the vessel. This complex operation relied on having access to each ship’s crew, route, manifest, real-time positioning and geolocation data, and a knowledge of what legitimate cargo was contained in each container.
The conspiracy used a different set of workers with access to the ports in Europe to clandestinely access and remove the cocaine from the shipping containers upon their arrival.
US law enforcement officers seized three of these shipments:
• On February 27, 2019, approximately 1 437 kgs of cocaine secreted aboard the MSC Carlotta at the Port of New York and New Jersey
• On March 18, 2019, approximately 537 kgs of cocaine secreted aboard the MSC Desiree at the Port of Philadelphia
• On June 19, 2019, approximately 17 956 kgs of cocaine secreted aboard the MSC Gayane at the Port of Philadelphia. The seizure of the cocaine from the MSC Gayane—worth over $1 billion—was one of the largest seizures of cocaine in United States history.
Ivan Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York said his team would continue to pursue drug traffickers who hijacked trade vessels.
The arrest is regarded as a heavy hit for Gogic’s criminal network.
He is expected to be brought to the Eastern District of New York to face the charges. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison.
