Two defendants in "The Impudent" case arrested for kidnapping, third wanted

Two defendants in the criminal case "The Impudent" have been arrested for kidnapping. The third is wanted. There is no trace of the two kidnapped individuals.

This information was revealed during a briefing on March 21 by the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office regarding an ongoing pre-trial investigation into kidnapping related to the stolen 160 kg of cocaine, worth several million euros. The briefing was attended by Deputy Heads of Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, Hristo Krustev and Ivo Iliev, as well as the Director of the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs (SDVR), Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov.

"Evidence has been gathered on the basis of which the supervising prosecutor has come to the conclusion that three persons have committed kidnapping of two other persons," Deputy Head of Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, Hristo Krastev, said.

"The case dates back to the beginning of the year, starting with a report of a missing person received by SDVR. Shortly after, another report about a missing person arrived. A pre-trial investigation was initiated at the beginning of January. Evidence has been collected linking three individuals to the crime. Yesterday, an operation was carried out to arrest them. For this crime, a sentence of 7 to 15 years of imprisonment is anticipated. One of the detainees faces a second charge as, at the time of arrest, weapons were found – a rifle and a pistol with obliterated serial numbers. Two individuals have been arrested. There is no trace of the kidnapped individuals, but there is no evidence to suggest that they have been killed. The motive has not been fully clarified; it could be related to financial disputes or possibly linked to drugs, but this cannot be confirmed, as there is no supporting evidence," Deputy Head of Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, Ivo Iliev, stressed.

"On January 10, SDVR received a report about a missing person, submitted by a relative. On the same day, another person went missing, and the operational information suggested that the two individuals knew each other. Operational search activities were undertaken, during which it was established that the two individuals disappeared from the same location at the same time and got into a car, the driver of which was unknown at that moment," said Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov.

He explained that SDVR has been workoing with foreign partner agencies on the case.

"We established that the two missing individuals were likely connected to the theft of a significant amount of cocaine. We then identified transport companies and individuals involved in such activities, which led us to the three perpetrators who have been charged," Nikolov stated.

According to him, the stolen amount of 160 kg of cocaine is worth several million euros. Red notices are to be issued for all those involved in international drug trafficking.

The Bulgarian authorities have learned from American partner services that the cocaine arrived at a European port from South America and then continued its journey by land to Bulgaria.

"The individuals we consider missing, including those involved in the kidnapping, most likely had logistical activities in Bulgaria, and their role was to transport the same quantity of cocaine to Turkey. After the disappearance and numerous meetings with the perpetrators who kidnapped the two victims, we established that they had met with Serbian nationals, who were probably searching for those responsible for the missing cocaine. We assume that this was the main motive for the kidnapping," added Chief Commissioner Nikolov.