Goran Gogic, 43, was arrested Sunday night while trying to board a flight to Zurich from Miami International Airport after being indicted by a grand jury in New York. Prosecutors charged Gogic with three counts of violating the federal Maritime Narcotics Enforcement Act and one count of conspiracy. Each charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a possible life sentence. Gogic was arrested after a brief appearance before US Magistrate Lisette Reed in Miami, his lawyer said. Another detention hearing is scheduled for Nov. 7. The charges stem from the seizures of 19,930 kilograms (22 tons) of cocaine from three commercial cargo ships in 2019, including 17,956 kilograms (19.8 tons) from the MSC Gayane while docked at Philadelphia’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. Prosecutors said the conspirators transported cocaine to Europe from Colombia through US ports, using cranes and nets at night to lift drugs onto cargo ships from speedboats approaching the shipping lanes. The complex operation required knowledge of each ship’s crew, route and location data and that there was room to store drugs in containers already on board, prosecutors said. According to court documents, Gogic oversaw logistics, coordinating with crew members, Colombian traffickers and European dock workers to benefit himself and his Balkan-based cartels. In a statement, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn called Gogic’s arrest and indictment “a resounding victory for law enforcement.” Lawrence Hassis, Gogic’s lawyer, said: “These charges came as a surprise to him. He maintains that he is innocent and had come to the US for a boxing convention in Puerto Rico.” At least eight members of the Gayane crew have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. According to online records, Gogic was a boxer from 2001 to 2012, winning 21 fights and losing four with two draws. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York. Edited by Matthew Lewis and Deepa Babington Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
