Bulgaria Detains Crime Boss, "No Links" to Latest Shootout

Crime | April 3, 2007, Tuesday // 00:00
Bulgaria: Bulgaria Detains Crime Boss, "No Links" to Latest Shootout Dimitar Zhelyazkov, who is believed to be one of the major drug dealers in the Black Sea city of Burgas, has been detained on Monday. Photo by bulphoto.com

A Bulgarian mobster, who is believed to be one of the major drug dealers in the Black Sea city of Burgas, has been detained on Monday.

Dimitar Zhelyazkov, nicknamed Mitio Ochite, has been seized together with another ten men, his close allies.

The arrests came shortly before Monday's shooting in Burgas that left four people injured, two of them linked to the local crime boss, reports say.

The police denied the arrests have been linked to the shooting that shocked the coastal city as stray bullets mistakenly wounded two passers-by.

The shooter, local businessman Ivan Panayotov, said he fired his gun in self-defence.

This is not the first time that Dimitar Zhelyazkov, boasting a long criminal record for drug dealing and racketeering, is being arrested by Burgas police.

He was detained at the end of 2005 after the brutal murder of 33-year old Volodya Gergovski in Sofia's Strelbishte district.

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