Friedemann Vogel | Bongart | Getty Images Former heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic was charged by the US Department of Justice on Monday with trafficking 22 tons of cocaine worth more than $1 billion. The 43-year-old Montenegrin was arrested Sunday night at Miami International Airport while trying to board a flight bound for Zurich. He had previously been indicted by a grand jury in New York. Gogic was charged with three counts of violating the federal Maritime Narcotics Enforcement Act, plus one count of conspiracy. Each of the three counts carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison with a possible life sentence. The charges date back to 2019, when 22 tons of cocaine were seized from three commercial cargo ships while docked at Philadelphia’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. According to prosecutors, the cocaine was transported to Europe from Colombia using US ports. The program used cranes and nets at night to lift cocaine onto cargo ships. Gogic oversaw logistics and coordinated with crew members, Colombian traffickers and European dock workers, according to court documents. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn called Gogic’s arrest and indictment “a resounding victory for law enforcement.” Lawrence Hasis, Gogic’s lawyer, said the charges “came him by surprise” and he “maintains his innocence.” Gogic was a heavyweight boxer from 2001 to 2012, posting a 21-4-2 record in 27 career fights.
