Ex-Heavyweight Boxer Charged With Distributing $1 Billion in Cocaine

A former heavyweight boxer from Montenegro has been charged with trafficking 22 tons of cocaine, worth $1 billion.

43-year-old Goran Gocic was trying to hop aboard a plane to Switzerland out of Miami International Airport. He didn't get the chance to kick back on that transatlantic flight because he was arrested thanks to an indictment courtesy of a New York grand jury.

The former boxer is facing three counts of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. Each count carries a minimum 10-year sentence and he could wind up with a life sentence. Gocic also faces one count of conspiracy.

The charges date back to a drug seizure that occurred in 2019. Authorities found 22 tons of cocaine aboard three commercial cargo ships, most of it from a single ship — MSC Gayane — docked in Philadelphia.

While he's facing drug charges now, Goran Gogic fought as a heavyweight boxer from 2001 to 2012. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Gogic Was Allegedly The Logistics Guy

Court papers alleged that Gocic handled the logistics of smuggling cocaine from Colombia to Europe via the United States. It's alleged that they used speedboats to pass drugs to ships.

This sort of thing requires extensive knowledge of these cargo ships and it's believed that Gogic was the guy for the job.

However, he says that isn't the case.

Gocic's attorney, Lawrence Hashish (an ironic name for an attorney representing someone facing drug charges), says that Gogic was simply traveling back to Europe after attending a boxing convention.

"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," Hashish said.

He was in town for a boxing convention in Puerto Rico? That's what they all say...

According to BoxRec, Gogic posted a 21-4-2 record over his pro career. 14 of those victories came via knockout. Most of his professional bouts took place in Germany between 2001 and 2012. One Fight took place in his native Montenegro.

Gogic has already made one brief appearance before a judge and will be back in the courtroom on November 7.

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