Serbian national sentenced to 17 years for international cocaine trafficking
PLANO, Texas - A federal judge in Texas sentenced a 59-year-old Serbian national to 204 months in federal prison for his role in an international cocaine trafficking conspiracy, officials said.
What we know:
Milan Tanovic, also known as Marco, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine while aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
Investigators identified Tanovic as a large-scale cocaine trafficker who partnered with drug traffickers based in Serbia and Albania.
Authorities said the group was shipping ton amounts of cocaine from South America to Europe using container vessels.
Investigators tied Tanovic to multiple drug shipment seizures through chats on an encrypted messaging platform.
What we don't know:
Officials have not released additional details regarding the specific dates of the drug shipments or the total street value of the cocaine seized during the operation.
The backstory:
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, "Protecting the American People Against Invasion."
The prosecution was led by Eastern District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Wes Wynne.
The Source: The information in this article comes from a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.