The US Department of Justice declared that former boxer Montenegrin Goran Gogic has been indicted in connection with the attempted shipment of 22 tons of cocaine worth more than $1 billion in 2019.

Gogic was detained on October 30 inside the Miami International Airport after being charged by a grand jury.

At the time of his detention, the 43-year-old was attempting to catch a flight to Zurich.

According to a news statement from the US Justice Department, Gogic is accused of breaking the federal Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act three times and on account of conspiring once. Each crime is punishable by a minimum 10-year jail sentence and a maximum life sentence.

The former boxer made a brief appearance in US magistrate court; a subsequent hearing is scheduled on November 7.

Supposedly starting in Columbia, the illicit substances made their way across the United States and into Europe. In 2019, three commercial cargo ships netted over 22 tons of cocaine, including 19.8 tons from the MSC Gayane, which was berthed at Philadelphia's Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.

According to court records, Gogic is said to have handled various logistics, including the removal of the narcotics from speedboats, and is thought to have played a significant role in the operation. According to reports, he transferred the narcotics from the speedboats to the cargo ships using a crane.

The bust was one of the biggest narcotics seizures in US history, according to government sources.

Breon Peace, the US attorney, referred to Gogic's arrest and charge as "a resounding victory for law enforcement."

In the meantime, Gogic's legal counsel stated that "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."