2019 Philadelphia Packer Marine Terminal cocaine seizure

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, and the fourth largest worldwide. The ship was owned by JP Morgan Chase.

History
On June 18, 2019, federal authorities seized 39,525 pounds (nearly twenty tons) of cocaine at the Port of Philadelphia's Packer Marine Terminal. The street value of the drugs is estimated at $1.3 billion. 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. Six members of the crew were arrested. 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, and fourth largest worldwide.

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.

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

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.