Evelin Banev-Brendo, declared an international wanted man, surrendered to the police this morning, the Ministry of the Interior informed. He disappeared after receiving a six-year effective sentence for money laundering.

In 2018, Evelin Banev was declared a national wanted person, and subsequently a European Arrest Warrant was issued for him. In addition to prison in this country, Brendo faces a ten-year sentence for drug trafficking in Romania, and 20 years in Italy over the "Cocaine Kings" affair.

Evelin Banev's name made headlines at the end of the past year over a case with a document prepared in the town hall of the village of Tlachene near Vratsa in May 2022. Even then, operative actions were taken to clarify whether he was personally present during the certification of the document by the mayor's deputy.

At the briefing, the director of the National Police General Directorate, Atanas Ilkov, said that the Ministry of the Interior was starting an investigation into how Brendo managed to enter Bulgaria. "Places of imprisonment are a good place for one to hide, so as not to be reached by enemies with whom one has some unsettled relationship. At the moment, however, we cannot say whether this is the reason for his return", he commented.