Venelin Dragomirov is the second victim of a false positive drug test and claims that he suffered a heart attack due to the stress of being detained. The man told his story on the show "Hello, Bulgaria" on NOVA, accusing the law enforcement agencies of failing to provide timely medical assistance.
"They ruined my life. Now I have heart damage because I didn't receive adequate medical assistance for 12 hours," the victim stressed.
Dragomirov was stopped for a check on April 2 at around 9:00 p.m. The test showed positive results for cocaine and opiates, although he claims to have never used drugs.
According to Dragomirov, this is the second time he has given a false positive test for drugs. In the first case, the blood test showed that he was innocent, and he only got his license back nine months later.
"I saw on the monitor that the test came out positive for cocaine and opiates. I felt sick. I raised my blood pressure and asked for an ambulance to be called," he said.
According to him, the police thought he had overdosed on drugs. His blood pressure was 200 over 160, but the uniformed officers at the scene ignored his requests for medical help.
Dragomirov waited for the "criminal police" for nearly three hours. During this time, the police thought he was faking it until they called an ambulance. The doctor offered him a pill, but he refused and insisted on a cardiogram.
"The next moment, the police said that I had refused treatment and insisted that the doctor leave. I asked for a cardiogram, which they did while I was handcuffed and lying on a bench in the hallway," he said.
At around 3:00 a.m., they put him in an ambulance, but the police told the doctor to get in with the driver. At the Ministry of Internal Affairs Hospital, after tests, it was determined that he had suffered a heart attack and had to be taken to another hospital.
Attorney Ivaylo Yurukov, who represents Dragomirov, emphasized that he has documents proving the stress his client experienced.
"Health should come first. "The police may have this procedure, but formalities cannot come first and a person with heart attack complaints, proven by tests, can be ignored," the lawyer said.
Dragomirov's case fits into the trend of a growing number of false positive drug tests in Bulgaria. Interior Minister Daniel Mitov recently ordered a review of police practice for 24-hour detentions precisely because of numerous reports of such cases.