Two Slovenian nationals, Gorazd Filimonovic and Gasper Urbanc, have been sentenced to 10 and 13 years in prison, respectively, for their roles in a heroin trafficking operation aimed at the United States. The judgment, delivered by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods, follows their previous guilty pleas to conspiring to import heroin.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky for the Southern District of New York, Filimonovic and Urbanc, along with their associates, planned to send large amounts of heroin to the U.S. Podolsky stated, “Gorazd Filimonovic, Gasper Urbanc, and their co-conspirators agreed to send a staggering amount of heroin to the United States." He also reiterated the commitment to tackling drug trafficking: "This Office, through its longstanding partnership with the DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, will continue to prosecute those who seek to harm our communities by flooding our streets with dangerous drugs.”
Court documents and statements highlight that from late 2020 to spring 2021, the two men and their network were part of a conspiracy to distribute substantial quantities of heroin from Austria and other locations for U.S. importation. The DEA had been investigating their operations since 2019, identifying Urbanc as a significant cocaine trafficker involved in coordinating the logistics of drug transportation. Meetings and communications with confidential sources revealed their capabilities and plans to traffic drugs internationally.
In early 2021, negotiations took place for heroin shipments. Urbanc assured a confidential source that heroin could be supplied immediately from various European centers. By February of that year, plans were made to deliver high-quality heroin to Austria for subsequent smuggling into the U.S., with discussions also on pricing—€18,000 to €19,000 per kilogram, as agreed in March 2021.
An arrangement was finalized for segments of around 135 kilograms of heroin for approximately €2.6 million. But before the transaction was completed, the two were arrested in Croatia in May 2021. Podolsky credited the "outstanding efforts" of international and U.S. law enforcement bodies, including the DEA, Slovenia’s National Bureau of Investigation, Austrian police, and Croatian police, for their roles in the case.
The prosecution was managed by the National Security and International Narcotics Unit, with several U.S. Attorneys leading the efforts.
