Three well-known drug traffickers fund the organization of Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish party DPS in the southern city of Plovdiv.

This is claimed by Ashim Asan, Chair of "Prav Pat" ("Right Way"), a foundation of Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin, Darik Radio reported. Asan claims that the local police and prosecutors provide the cover for their activities.

"These are three very rich drug traffickers who sponsor DPS in Plovdiv. One of them is from Stolipinovo (the Roma-populated quarter in Plovdiv - editor's note), and is named Angel Bubov. The other one is called Stefan Alexandrov. They are supported in that by the former city councilor, Inan Aliev. I am going to notify about that personally the Minister of Interior, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Prime Minister Borisov, and the committees on corruption," Asan is quoted as saying.

Asan also said that earlier on Wednesday he had been visited by a DPS city councilor named Yashar Asan, who urged him to stir Roma protests in order to create public disorder.

Roma leaders have already threatened to stage protests in Plovdiv on September 6, Bulgaria's Unification Day, over their poor living conditions. According to Ashim Asan, the DPS party is behind those threats through the Roma barons connected to it. Stolipinovo is the largest Roma-populated quarter in Bulgaria with about 40 000 people. Ashim Asan is known as a sympathizer of PM Borisov's GERB party.

"Mr. Asan's claims are nonsense and I am not going to comment on them. Let him submit them in written, and if the police in Plovdiv don't take measures, then he can speak about that. So far he has not alerted us about anything," said Commissar Angel Rangelov, head of the regional police directorate in Plovdiv, as cited by Darik Radio.

Rangelov said that of the three mentioned persons he knew only Inan Aliev who used to be a policeman at the Fifth Department in Plovdiv.

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