Bulgarian Mafia Ranks Among Greece's Most Notorious Crime Groups
A recent journalistic investigation has ranked the Bulgarian mafia among the top 10 organized crime syndicates operating in Greece
Gregory V. Houston, formerly working for the security of the American Embassy in Bulgaria, was investigated under suspicion of ties to te Bulgarian mafia and illegal activity.
An article in the Newsweek magazine dedicated to a murder of staff at the US Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, surprisingly involves the name of Houston and makes the revelation.
The text quotes officials from the US State Department as saying he was suspected of selling visas, but was nevertheless allowed to retire in 2010 and thus avoid prosecution.
Citing a draft report by the Department, Newsweek claims that allegations against Houston involved "association with the Mafia in Sofia, over 400 visa referrals, [and the] misuse of armored vehicles."
Houston, who worked at the US Embassy in Sofia between 2006 and 2009, became suspicious after having issued an "excessive" number of visa referral for Bulgarians willing to travel to the US.
He denied having received money or anything else from Bulgarians and explained that the issuing of 400 referrals "wasn't unusual for people from former Soviet countries".
In Thessaloniki, police officers intervened after hearing the cries of an 11-month-old baby left unattended on a balcony
A 20-year-old woman from the village of Kalitinovo, Stara Zagora Province, has been detained by police following a stabbing incident at a restaurant in Sunny Beach.
Tension gripped the Bulgarian city of Varna on Tuesday evening following the death of 36-year-old Yavor Georgiev
A total of 130 people are being removed from three illegal adult care facilities in Varna following an operation carried out Monday night - the third such action in recent weeks
Customs authorities at Bulgaria’s Kapitan Andreevo border crossing have intercepted two significant attempts to smuggle undeclared currency, with a total value approaching 2.8 million leva
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