Miljanic was sentenced to six years in prison in Italy in 2010 for cocaine trafficking. He was given work release four years later, but he ditched the program and escaped to the U.S.

For years, OCCRP, KRIK, and Czech news outlet Investigace.cz have been following Group America — a decades-old criminal organization with roots in New York and the Balkans, believed to have been run by Miljanic.

Reporters discovered that it operates in dozens of countries and is suspected of supplying Europe with tonnes of cocaine from South America.

The group has a reputation for dismembering rivals with chainsaws, assassinating prominent government figures, and working with spy organizations.