Bulgarian 'Cocaine King' Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail in Italy

Crime | July 9, 2013, Tuesday // 10:49
Bulgaria: Bulgarian 'Cocaine King' Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail in Italy Evelin Banev AKA Brendo was arrested in Bulgaria on May 16 2012 on suspicions of cocaine trafficking and money laundering both in Bulgaria and Switzerland. Photo by BGNES

An Italian court has sentenced to twenty years in jail alleged Bulgarian drug lord Evelin Banev AKA Brendo, wrapping up the trial against the so-called "Cocaine Kings”.

The sentence was delivered on Monday and is subject to appeal.

Banev was charged with being the ring leader of an organized crime group dealing with illegal drug trafficking, financing cocaine trafficking, and trans-border organized crime.

Banev is being held in prison in Milan, Italy, where he was extradited after his arrest in Bulgaria last spring in a special police operation codenamed "Cocaine Kings," and is coming to Bulgaria only for the court sessions of the local trial against him.

Banev has firmly refused to travel to Bulgaria despite the opportunity to see his 10-year-old daughter Lara who was recently released by her abductors.

At the beginning of March, Banev's 10-year-old daughter Lara was abducted by masked gunmen in the affluent Sofia suburb of Boyana. A 36-year-old bodyguard was shot twice in the back.

According to various reports, the abduction was a warning for him to keep silent in the Milan Court.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Crime » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: Evelin Banev, drug trafficking, arrest, Ring, Cocaine, Cocaine Kings, money laundering, mafia, organized crime, Brendo, Italy, abduction, abductors, drugs trafficking, Cocaine, drug lord, Lara

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria