Bulgarian Court Halts Early Release Bid for Alleged Drug Kingpin Evelin “Brendo” Banev
Sofia, Bulgaria – A Sofia court has suspended proceedings regarding the potential early release of Evelin Banev, known as “Brendo,” a convicted drug trafficker. The decision comes after the newly appointed head of the Sofia Central Prison withdrew a request for early release previously submitted by his predecessor, according to reports from Fakti.bg and Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA).
The initial request for Banev’s early release was based on the grounds that he had served more than half of his sentence and demonstrated evidence of rehabilitation. However, the withdrawal of the request by the recent prison chief necessitates the closure of the current case. Should a new request be filed, the court will initiate a new review process.
Controversial Proposal and Subsequent Removal of Prison Chief
The original proposal for early release, submitted by former Sofia Central Prison head Borislav Chorbanski, led to his temporary removal from his post by former Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev. An internal inspection was launched following Chorbanski’s actions, but the results of that investigation have not been publicly released.
Banev’s Complex Sentence and Surrender
Banev is currently serving a 10.5-year prison sentence after surrendering to Bulgarian authorities in June 2024, ending a six-year period where he was sought under Interpol Red Notices. He had been facing multiple charges across Bulgaria, Italy, and Romania. Prior to his surrender, Banev was wanted for participating in an organized crime group involved in money laundering in Bulgaria and for establishing an organized criminal group and drug trafficking in Romania, as reported by BTA.
His sentences included 20 years for cocaine trafficking in Italy, 10 years for cocaine trafficking in Romania, and 6 years for money laundering in Bulgaria.
Sentence Consolidation and Legal Maneuvering
Bulgarian legislation allowed for the consolidation of Banev’s multiple sentences into a single 10.5-year term. This process involved a review of the foreign penalties imposed in Italy and Romania. During this review, the Italian sentence was effectively reduced. The Bulgarian court applied the Criminal Code in effect between 2006-2008, when the crime was committed in Italy. At that time, participation in a criminal group for drug trafficking was not considered an aggravating circumstance under Bulgarian law. Banev was tried solely for his involvement in the criminal group, which carried a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The Romanian sentence of 10 years and the Bulgarian sentence of 6 years were then added, resulting in the final consolidated sentence of 10.5 years.
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