Ex-Heavyweight Boxer Goran Gogic Arrested In ‘Staggering’ $1 Billion Cocaine Bust

Former heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic is facing prison time for trafficking over $1 billion worth of cocaine from South America to Europe through U.S. ports. 

The 43-year-old boxer from Montenegro was arrested Sunday at Miami International Airport while boarding a flight to Switzerland. He’s accused of attempting to move more than 20 tons of cocaine. 

He was indicted on Monday by a grand jury in New York and charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, according to a statement from the New York Department of Justice.

“Gogic allegedly conspired with drug suppliers, ships’ crewmembers, and port workers to traffic massive quantities of cocaine through the U.S. to Europe via commercial cargo ships,” the statement read.

Prosecutors said the drug trafficking operation was “staggering” and “complex.”

The defendants allegedly worked in the night to move loads of cocaine from speedboats onto commercial ships using nets and ship cranes. Once on the ships, tons of cocaine were hidden in shipping containers. 

Gogic is charged with overseeing the operation, working with people across the United States, Colombia and Europe. 

“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,” the prosecutors alleged.

The drug bust started in 2019  when 19.8 tons of cocaine were seized from a cargo ship in Philadelphia. That year, law enforcement also seized shipments at ports in New York and New Jersey, Panama, Peru and the Netherlands.

Prosecutors called it “one of the largest drug seizures in United States history.” 

Federal officials said this bust is a “resounding victory for law enforcement.”

“Due to the hard work by local, state and federal law enforcement, 20 tons of poison was intercepted en route from Colombia to Europe,” said one DEA agent. “Gogic’s arrest underscores law enforcement’s commitment to bringing to justice those responsible for causing the most harm to our communities.”