Vetko and Marinela Arabadjievi were detained this morning at 8:45 am in Cabrera de Mar, near Barcelona by the Spanish judicial authorities. This was announced by the Prosecutor General Rumyana Arnaudova at a briefing at the Court of Justice.
They are accused of participating in an organized crime group for money laundering and tax offenses. Their son, Valcho, has been detained permanently in detention since the end of last year.
The family was found in a home that was used by Georgi Semerdzhiev, known in our country as Joro Shopa, also detained by the Spanish authorities but at the request of Switzerland.
Prosecutor Arnaudova refused to indicate how long the prosecution had known about the whereabouts of the wanted persons. She explained that when the data were received, a European Investigation Order was sent, on which grounds the Spanish law enforcement authorities came in to search the property. Arabadjievi and Semerdjiev were detained on the ground, she said, specifying that Semerdjiev was detained at the request of not the Bulgarian but the Swiss authorities.
The search operation continues, she added.
The Spanish court is about to allow the handover of Arabadzhievi to the Bulgarian authorities.
The Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office will translate the European arrest warrant into Spanish in order to pass the relevant legal order and present the documents of the Spanish authorities in order for Arabadjievi to be extradited to us. The shortest time they can be returned to Bulgaria, I suppose, will happen for no more than half a month, Arnaudova said.