site.btaEvelin “Brendo” Banev Sentenced to Over 10 Years in Prison for Crimes in Three Countries

The Sofia City Court ruled that Evelin “Brendo” Banev will serve a total prison sentence of 10 years and 6 months in Bulgaria for crimes committed in Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy, the court reported on Monday. Time already served in detention in Italy and in Sofia will be deducted from the sentence.

Banev requested to serve a combined sentence in Bulgaria for his convictions in the three countries. His lawyer, Silvia Naydenova, argued that the Italian court lacked jurisdiction over the offenses, as they were committed outside Italy. Naydenova requested that this conviction not be respected in Bulgaria. The court and the prosecution rejected this claim.

Banev joined the court hearing via video link from Sofia prison, confirming support for his lawyer’s position. 

The court noted that the Italian authorities did not provide the reasoning behind their sentence, and communication with them took nine months and was described as extremely slow.

Evelin "Brendo" Banev, known as Bulgaria's cocaine king, has been wanted under Interpol Red Notices since 2018 for participating in an organized crime group for money laundering in Bulgaria and for setting up an organized criminal group and drug trafficking in Romania. Banev has been sentenced to 6 years imprisonment for money laundering in Bulgaria, 20 years for cocaine trafficking in Italy, and 10 years for cocaine trafficking in Romania. He surrendered to the Bulgarian authorities on June 24, 2024 and is currently held at Sofia's Central Prison. On June 28 of last year, the Interior Ministry said it has information according to which Banev had entered the territory of Bulgaria between late March 2022 and early June 2022.