Feds Seize JP Morgan Ship With $1 Billion in Cocaine, Investigation Heats up Big Time

Federal authorities are combing through “voluminous” evidence including audio in obscure languages, texts, navigation data, and physical evidence after seizing $1 billion worth of cocaine on a ship owned by JPMorgan this summer.

Prosecutors indicted Nenad Ilic, a nautical engineering trainee from Montenegro, last month. Court filings show they accused the MSC Gayane crewmember of taking part in a conspiracy that involved mobile “narco” phones, ski masks, fake container seals, acts of intimidation, and smuggling drugs onto the ship under the cover of darkness. . .

“This case is so unusual and complex due to the nature of the prosecution, including the volume of discovery materials and the large number of potential witnesses, that it is unreasonable to expect adequate preparation for pretrial proceedings or for the trial itself within the time limits,” Judge Brattle ruled on a motion for a speedy trial.

Judge Brattle underlined the immense scale of the MSC Gayane in the court order. He highlighted that it carries thousands of shipping containers, spans “more than three football fields in length,” and contains an “extensive network” of navigation technology and other computers and electronics. (Read more from “Feds Seize JP Morgan Ship With $1 Billion in Cocaine, Investigation Heats up Big Time” HERE)

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