Former boxer Goran Gogic was charged with trafficking 22 tonnes of cocaine worth more than $1 billion by the US Department of Justice on Monday. He was arrested at the Miami International Airport on Sunday, while he was trying to board a flight to Zurich.

The drug trafficking incident in which Gogic has been arrested dates back to 2019 when approximately 19,930 kilograms of cocaine were seized from three commercial cargo ships.

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Out of the total of 19,930 kgs, close to 17,956 kgs were seized from the Liberian cargo ship MSC Gayne, while it was docked at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in Philadelphia. 

What are the charges against Goran Gogic?

Prosecutors allege that Gogic was part of a drug trafficking nexus that transported cocaine from Colombia to Europe using US ports. They say that the traffickers used cranes and nets at night to load to cocaine on the cargo ships.

Gogic, they believe, was responsible for overseeing the logistics of the drug transport and coordinating with the crew members.

He has been charged with three counts of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act and one count of conspiracy. Each of the charges can lead up to 10 years in prison which could later get converted to a life sentence.

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The 43-year-old boxer briefly appeared in a US magistrate court on Tuesday where the charges against him were made clear. US attorney Breon Peace said that Goran’s timely arrest was a “resounding victory for law enforcement.”

Goran’s legal representative claimed that the charges against him “came as a surprise” and he maintains his innocence. 

“These charges came as a surprise to him. He maintains his innocence, and had come to the U.S. for a boxing convention in Puerto Rico,” Goran’s legal representative said.