SERBIAN MAN SENTENCED TO 17 YEARS IN PRISON IN THE U.S.: He worked with smugglers to transport tons of cocaine to Europe!

Milan Tanović, 59, a Serbian citizen who lived in Spain, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison by a federal court in Texas for his involvement in international cocaine smuggling. According to U.S. prosecutors, Tanović worked with drug traffickers operating out of Serbia and Albania, organizing the transportation of large quantities of cocaine by container ships from South America to Europe. Investigators linked him to several seized shipments by analyzing messages exchanged on an encrypted communications platform.

On October 15, a federal court in the Eastern District of Texas sentenced Milan Tanović, also known by the nickname “Marko,” to 204 months, or 17 years, in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan after Tanović pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute it aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

According to information presented in court, Tanović was identified as one of the participants in a large-scale international cocaine trafficking network.

He worked with other drug traffickers based in Serbia and Albania to organize the transportation of tons of cocaine from South America to the European market.

Container ships were used to smuggle the drugs.

Encrypted messages linked him to multiple seizures

U.S. investigators linked Tanović to several seized cocaine shipments by analyzing communications on an encrypted platform.

The statement did not identify the platform or specify the total quantity of drugs seized or the individual seizure cases.

The names of other people Tanović worked with in Serbia and Albania were also not released.

U.S. agencies and Europol took part in the investigation

The case is part of an investigation by the U.S. Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), established to combat international criminal organizations, cartels and smuggling networks.

The Dallas task force includes, among others, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and other U.S. federal agencies.

Europol and DEA offices in several countries, including Spain, Italy, Croatia, Brazil and Colombia, also participated in international cooperation.

The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wes Wynne.