Bulgaria arrests Mafia suspect and places curfew on teenagers in crime crackdown

BULGARIA HAS responded to criticism from the European Union over its failure to crush crime and corruption by arresting an alleged Mafia kingpin and imposing a curfew on teenagers.

Police arrested Zlatomir “The Beret” Ivanov for suspected involvement in drug trafficking and contract killings. The former member of a police anti-terrorism unit could face 10 years in jail if convicted.

Nikolay Kokinov, prosecutor for the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, said Ivanov had been charged with “organising, forming and managing a criminal group” and that he would ask a court today to keep him in custody until his trial.

Brussels has repeatedly criticised Bulgaria for failing to crack down on organised crime, and last year suspended €220 million in aid to the Balkan nation.

At least 75 contract killings have taken place in Bulgaria since 2001, but only four cases have gone to trial and only one has resulted in a conviction.

With an EU progress report on Bulgaria due to be released later this month, police have recently arrested two other alleged mafia bosses who are now awaiting trial.

Experts on Bulgaria’s criminal world said they feared the arrest of Ivanov could spark turf wars and a bloody struggle for power between Sofia’s mafia groups.

His arrest on Friday was followed the next day by an apparent contract “hit” that saw one man shot dead and another injured in an upmarket district of the capital.

Sofia has been rocked in recent weeks by occasionally violent protests over the government’s handling of the economic crisis and its failure to deal with organised and street crime.

Following the death of a student in one recent attack, the government has imposed a curfew on teenagers.

Under new legislation, under-18s will not be allowed out alone on the street or in bars and restaurants after 10pm, and under-14s will only be allowed out after 8pm if accompanied by a parent.

Parents of children who break the curfew could face a €500 fine, and shops selling alcohol to minors could now be punished with a €2,000 penalty.

Officials say the curfew is intended to foster more responsibility among parents. It is also intended to reduce street crime perpetrated by youngsters and to prevent them from becoming victims of crime.

The right-wing opposition has denounced the curfew however, with one MP, Vanyo Sharkov, calling it proof that the state was “incapable of guaranteeing security, particularly that of children”.