NYC Gazette

Milos Radonjic, a Montenegrin citizen known as the “Pirate of the Unknown,” was extradited from Italy to the Eastern District of New York to face maritime narcotrafficking charges. Radonjic, charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy and attempt to violate the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, was arrested in Italy on October 6, 2023, following a provisional arrest warrant. He had entered Italy to participate in an international yacht race as a captain. Radonjic will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday, July 29, 2024, before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York; and David J. Scott, Special Agent in Charge at the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division announced the extradition.

“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. “Working together with our law enforcement partners and allies around the world, this Office will continue to pursue narcotraffickers who seek to corrupt the critical infrastructure of global shipping to transport their poisonous cargo to our communities.”

Peace expressed appreciation to several agencies including the United States Marshals Service, the Department of State, and Italian law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities such as the Ministry of Justice. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance with securing Radonjic's arrest and extradition.

HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo commented: “The defendant’s alleged efforts to utilize the open ocean to transport tons of cocaine were no match for the versatile investigative capabilities of HSI and our law enforcement partners. HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force is committed to leveraging our international footprint to protect the innocent public – at home, abroad, and in whatever capacity possible. We will relentlessly pursue transnational criminal organizations and their efforts to flout laws vital to ensuring our communities’ safety and wellbeing.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott added: “Radonjic and his co-conspirators allegedly transported tons of cocaine across the world using commercial cargo vessels. His extradition is a testament to global multiagency efforts to disrupt transnational criminal organizations who traffic drugs by air, land, or sea.”

According to court filings from 2020, Radonjic was a high-ranking member of a transnational criminal organization trafficking large quantities of cocaine globally via commercial cargo vessels. He allegedly coordinated with multiple co-conspirators for multi-ton shipments from South America to various regions including the Balkans. Radonjic purportedly organized three separate attempts involving over 2,500 kilograms of cocaine loaded onto container ships off Ecuador's coast and Colombia with help from a corrupt crew member.

The charges against Radonjic remain allegations until proven guilty. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment up to life.

Radonjic's extradition results from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.

The prosecution is being managed by Assistant United States Attorneys Nomi D. Berenson and Robert M. Pollack from the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Samuel Ronchetti.

The Defendant:

MILOS RADONJIC (also known as “Pirate of the Unknown”)

Age: 34

Montenegro

E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 23-CR-257 (S-1) (ARR)