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2019 Philadelphia Packer Marine Terminal cocaine seizure

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MSC Gayané in July 2019

The 2019 Philadelphia Packer Marine Terminal cocaine seizure was a large-scale drug enforcement operation that was conducted by the United States government during the summer of 2019. It was the largest cocaine seizure in U.S. Customs and Border Protection's 230-year history, the largest cocaine seizure in U.S. history,[1] and the fourth largest worldwide.[2] The ship was owned by JP Morgan Chase.[3]

History

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On June 18, 2019, federal authorities seized 39,525 pounds (nearly twenty tons) of cocaine[4][5][6] at the Port of Philadelphia's Packer Marine Terminal. The street value of the drugs is estimated at $1.3 billion.[7][6] According to the U.S. Attorney's Office it was the largest seizure in the history of the Office of the District Attorney of Eastern Pennsylvania. The Mediterranean Shipping Company's container ship, the MSC Gayane (IMO number 9770763), was heading from Chile to Europe with previous stops in Peru, Colombia and the Bahamas.[4] Six members of the crew were arrested.[5][8][9][4] The seizure is the largest cocaine seizure in U.S. Customs and Border Protection's 230-year history, the largest cocaine seizure in U.S. history,[10] and fourth largest worldwide.[11][5]

The MSC Gayane was met by law enforcement vessels and boarded by about a dozen federal agents while heading into Delaware Bay. The ship was escorted into the Port of Philadelphia's Packer Marine Terminal. Once docked, the authorities found nearly 20 tons of cocaine. Eight members of the crew have been charged in the arrest. The vessel was seized by the U.S. Attorney General and the Mediterranean Shipping Company posted a $50 million bond to gain the release of the vessel.[12]

As of August 31, 2021 all eight crew members charged with crimes have been sentenced.[13]

On October 31, 2022, former professional heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic was charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act and three counts of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act in relation to the MSC Gayane bust.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Cocaine haul from ship grows, arrests now stand at 6". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  2. ^ Berman, Nat (2018-03-19). "The 20 Largest Drugs Seizures in World History". Money Inc. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b c "16.5 tons of cocaine worth $1 billion seized at Philadelphia port". 6abc Philadelphia. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  5. ^ a b c "Authorities unveil stacks of seized cocaine after Philadelphia port bust". 6abc Philadelphia. 2019-06-21. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  6. ^ a b Silverman, Hollie (27 June 2019). "Record cocaine seizure at Philadelphia terminal weighed nearly 20 tons -- or 39,525 pounds". CNN. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  7. ^ 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)
  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. ^ "Cocaine haul from ship grows, arrests now stand at 6". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  11. ^ Berman, Nat (2018-03-19). "The 20 Largest Drugs Seizures in World History". Money Inc. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  12. ^ Paris, Costas. "Inside Shipping's Record Cocaine Bust". WSJ. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "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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