Milos Radonjic, a suspected Balkan drug lord known as the “Pirate of the Unknown,” was extradited from the high seas to New York to face charges of narcotrafficking. He is accused of smuggling over 5,500 pounds of cocaine from South America to Europe aboard a vessel under U.S. legal jurisdiction. Radonjic, who goes by the alias “Pirate of the Unknown,” faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Radonjic’s alleged smuggling attempts date back to 2020, and he was arrested in Italy in 2023 while participating in a yacht-racing competition. He was extradited to the U.S. last week. Radonjic, a significant trafficker for Balkan drug cartels, used his experience working aboard cargo ships to plan and execute drug smuggling operations. He gave detailed instructions to his conspirators on how to avoid detection and secure drugs on board ships.
Balkan cartels have become major players in the maritime drug trade, with Reuters reporting that almost all narcotics bound for Europe pass through their hands at some point. The Pirate of the Unknown is considered a rare target under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, which was passed in 1986 but often targets lower-level operatives rather than kingpins like Radonjic.
Other recent cases under the law include the indictment of Colombian men for smuggling cocaine on a semi-submersible vessel and the charging of Colombian men caught with cocaine aboard a vessel off the coast of Colombia. The law, which aims to crack down on major drug traffickers, is used more frequently against lower-level offenders according to experts.
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