2019 Philadelphia Packer Marine Terminal cocaine seizure

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MSC Gayane in July 2019 MSC GAYANE (48362954402).jpg
MSC Gayané in July 2019

On June 18, 2019, United States federal authorities seized 39,525 pounds (nearly twenty tons) of cocaine [1] [2] [3] with a street value estimated at $1.3 billion (equivalent to more than $1.6 billion in 2025) [4] [3] at the Port of Philadelphia's Packer Marine Terminal. This was the largest cocaine seizure in U.S. Customs and Border Protection's 230-year history, the largest cocaine seizure in U.S. history, [5] and the fourth largest worldwide. [6]

Background

The MSC Gayané (IMO number 9770763), operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company and owned by JPMorgan Chase, [7] was heading from Chile to Europe with previous stops in Peru, Colombia and the Bahamas. [1] She was met by law enforcement vessels and boarded by about a dozen federal agents while heading into Delaware Bay, then escorted into the Port of Philadelphia's Packer Marine Terminal. Once docked, authorities found nearly 20 tons of cocaine; eight members of her crew were charged. [2] [8] [9] [1] The U.S. Attorney General seized the Gayané until MSC posted a $50 million bond to release her. [10]

By August 2021, all eight crew members charged with crimes had been sentenced. [11] On October 31, 2022, former professional heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic was charged with three counts of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act and one count of conspiracy thereof in relation to the MSC Gayané bust. [12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "16.5 tons of cocaine worth $1 billion seized at Philadelphia port". 6abc Philadelphia. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  2. 1 2 "Authorities unveil stacks of seized cocaine after Philadelphia port bust". 6abc Philadelphia. 2019-06-21. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  3. 1 2 Silverman, Hollie (27 June 2019). "Record cocaine seizure at Philadelphia terminal weighed nearly 20 tons -- or 39,525 pounds". CNN. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  4. ↑ Staff, NBC10. "$1 Billion Philly Coke Bust Largest in U.S. Customs History". NBC 10 Philadelphia. Retrieved 2019-06-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "Cocaine haul from ship grows, arrests now stand at 6". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  6. ↑ Berman, Nat (2018-03-19). "The 20 Largest Drugs Seizures in World History". Money Inc. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  7. ↑ Brito, Christopher; Silverstein, Jason (2019-07-11). "JP Morgan Chase owns ship seized in $1.3 billion cocaine bust - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  8. ↑ "Over $1 Billion Worth Of Cocaine Seized At Philadelphia Port, U.S. Attorney's Office Says". 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  9. ↑ Staff, NBC10; York, Jonathan Dienst of NBC4 in New. "$1 Billion in Cocaine Seized at Philly Port, Officials Say". NBC 10 Philadelphia. Retrieved 2019-06-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Paris, Costas. "Inside Shipping's Record Cocaine Bust". WSJ. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  11. ↑ Roebuck, Jeremy. "The final cargo ship crewman charged in a 20-ton Philly cocaine bust was sentenced to more than 7 years". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  12. ↑ "Montenegrin National Charged in Brooklyn Federal Court with Maritime Narcotrafficking of Over 20 Tons of Cocaine". www.justice.gov. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
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