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MSC Gayane’s Chief Mate Gets Longest Jail Time in Drug Smuggling Case

14 June 2021

MSC Gayane’s Chief Mate Gets Longest Jail Time in Drug Smuggling Case

 

 

A U.S. District Court judge handed down the longest prison sentence related to the 2019 cocaine smuggling incident aboard the MSC Gayane for the boxship’s chief mate. As the senior most member of the ship’s crew arrested by federal agents in what they term one of the largest drug seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors said the chief mate ran the operation and recruited the other participants.

 

The chief mate, Bosko Markovic, age 39 of Montenegro, was sentenced to seven years in prison according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Previous sentences in the case have ranged between two and six years. A total of eight crew members, or nearly a third of the vessel’s crew, ranging from the chief mate and second officer to an engineer cadet, electrician, assistant reeferman, and two seamen, were arrested. The vessel’s fourth engineer, Vladimir Penda, age 27 of Montenegro, was sentenced in April 2021 to five years and ten months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release.

 

During the sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, the U.S. assistant district attorney argued that the chief mate was critical to the smuggling operation as he oversaw all aspects of the vessel’s daily operation. They said he had recruited other members of the crew and had communicated with the South Americans supplying the cocaine, which was brought aboard the vessel in duffle bags and hidden among the containers.

 

In previous hearings, the federal attorneys described how the vessel coordinated with people onshore to relay the vessel’s position and the timing for rendezvous. The cocaine was reportedly brought aboard at several points during the voyage between Peru and Panama. Such vast quantities were being brought aboard that they reported a crane was used to hoist the duffle bags to the deck from speedboats. Federal agents ultimately recovered 20 tons of cocaine valued at over $1 billion during a raid on the boxship in Philadelphia on June 17, 2019.

 

Much of the details of the case remain sealed, but the prosecutors reported tracing the smuggling operating from Philadelphia back to Eastern Europe where the crew members were recruited in the Balkans to South America where the drugs came aboard and ultimately to Europe. The cocaine was destined for Rotterdam when it was intercepted by the Americans.

 

Marovic and his co-conspirators have all pled guilty, and yesterday he expressed his remorse for his role in the plot. In his defense, his lawyers said he was recruited by unnamed members of the drug cartel while he was at home with promises of more than $1 million, or ten times his annual income, in payouts to complete the smuggling operation. At the engineer’s sentencing in the spring, he said that he had been threatened and he feared for the safety of his family if he did not go along with the scheme.

 

MSC was not charged in connection with the smuggling. The shipping company last spring said it has spent more than $100 million on security improvements across its operations and entered a victim’s statement during previous sentencing hearings.

PUBLISHED JUN 11, 2021 6:06 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Comments (0)


Today
8:03am
Hi Jenna! I made a new design, and i wanted to show it to you.
8:03am
It's quite clean and it's inspired from Bulkit.
8:12am
Oh really??! I want to see that.
8:13am
FYI it was done in less than a day.
8:17am
Great to hear it. Just send me the PSD files so i can have a look at it.
8:18am
And if you have a prototype, you can also send me the link to it.

Monday
4:55pm
Hey Jenna, what's up?
4:56pm
Iam coming to LA tomorrow. Interested in having lunch?
5:21pm
Hey mate, it's been a while. Sure I would love to.
5:27pm
Ok. Let's say i pick you up at 12:30 at work, works?
5:43pm
Yup, that works great.
5:44pm
And yeah, don't forget to bring some of my favourite cheese cake.
5:27pm
No worries

Today
2:01pm
Hello Jenna, did you read my proposal?
2:01pm
Didn't hear from you since i sent it.
2:02pm
Hello Milly, Iam really sorry, Iam so busy recently, but i had the time to read it.
2:04pm
And what did you think about it?
2:05pm
Actually it's quite good, there might be some small changes but overall it's great.
2:07pm
I think that i can give it to my boss at this stage.
2:09pm
Crossing fingers then

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