Milos Radonjic, 34, was charged for his alleged role as a high-ranking member of a transnational drug trafficking organization, in which he allegedly oversaw the shipment of multi-tonne cocaine loads over the high seas.
Court filings allege that, in one instance, he managed the delivery of more than 2,500 kilograms of cocaine that set sail from Ecuador and continued up the coast of Colombia. His clientele, investigators said, spanned as far as the Balkans, more than 10,000 km away.
The case against him lists no less than three separate shipments in which he employed commercial cargo vessels to traffic thousands of kilograms of his cartel’s product all over the world.
His reputation as a seasoned drug trafficker earned him the moniker of the ‘Pirate of the Unknown’ from his enemies.
“This arrest and successful extradition is a lesson that the high seas are not a no-man’s land for the rule of law, and that we are committed to bringing those who violate it to justice,” stated United States Attorney Peace.
Investigators would not comment on the identity of the cartel Radonjic allegedly worked for, nor any of his alleged international associates. Prosecutors, however, told a federal judge that Radonjic “contributed to the overdose and drug addiction crisis in the United States and throughout the world.”
Radonjic had previously been arrested in Italy in October 2023 for entering the country to captain his crew in an international yacht race, while there was a provisional arrest warrant issued in his name.
Italy extradited him to the U.S. on Friday. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment, with a potential sentence of up to life in prison.