In the midst of the summer season, the news of the set-aside "Mercedes-Benz Maybach", used by the Nessebar underworld boss Dimitar Zhelyazkov – Mityo Ochite, returned the Black Sea coast to the dark times of gangster wars.
The incident that occurred in late July in front of a residential complex in Sunny Beach quickly grew from a simple criminal case into a large-scale review of the redistribution of influence on the Southern Black Sea coast.
The case raises serious questions about security in the resorts, while forensic experts piece together the puzzle surrounding the perpetrator and the sponsors.
Timeline and facts: The fiery inferno in front of the “Marak-1“ complex
The attack took place in the late hours of July 29 at around 11:00 p.m. The luxury vehicle with Sofia registration was parked in a guarded parking lot in front of the “Marak-1“ complex. The fire that broke out required an emergency evacuation and rapid intervention by the RSPBZN - Nessebar, who managed to control the fire seconds before it spread to neighboring cars. The damage to the front of the limousine is colossal.
The Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (ODMVR) - Burgas officially confirmed the incident. Their bulletin states that the car is used by a 54-year-old resident of Nessebar. A few weeks before this, Dimitar Zhelyazkov regularly posed right next to this “Maybach“ in a series of his popular videos on the social network TikTok, where he collected thousands of views.
The suspect: What did the cameras reveal?
The Nessebar district administration immediately sealed off the area and began seizing recordings. A key advance in the investigation came from the complex's video surveillance cameras. They clearly show the silhouette of a masked man approaching the front hood of the car just minutes before the explosion.
According to unofficial information from the investigation, the perpetrator acted professionally and quickly, using a high-intensity flammable liquid, which excludes any possibility of a technical malfunction in the electrical installation. His identity is currently being clarified, as the Ministry of Interior is checking the criminal contingent in the region and the vehicles leaving the Burgas region.
The versions: Why now?
As an overview of the events, forensic scientists and security experts are analyzing three main directions:
War for the tourist business: Sunny Beach remains a tasty morsel for taxi services, beach concessions and security businesses. The arson may be a sign of retreat or an attempt to seize new territories by competing groups. The transformation into an “Influencer“: Zhelyazkov's public display of luxury on TikTok is irritating his old enemies. The demonstrative burning of the car from the clips is a direct blow to his reputation and an attempt at public humiliation. Warning about unsettled scores: The attack bears the marks of a classic “last warning“ in the underworld – without physical victims, but with clear financial and psychological damage.Historical context: Sunny Beach – chronicle of violence
This incident is not a precedent, but another link in the history of the Southern Black Sea Coast. Sunny Beach remembers a number of significant clashes related to the figure of Dimitar Zhelyazkov:
The shootout in front of the “Aisberg“ discotheque (2016): Then, during a bloody clash with Bozhidar Georgiev's men – Kozela, Mityo Ochite was seriously shot with over 5 bullets, and his bodyguard died on the spot.
The arson of the “4You“ restaurant (2017): The establishment where the shooting took place the previous year was also deliberately set on fire by hooded men.
Confiscations and cases: For years, Zhelyazkov's properties (including his palace in Sungurlare) were subject to seizure by the state, while he himself went through a series of cases for organized crime, money laundering and racketeering.
The current arson shows that despite the lull and the change of generations in the underworld, tensions along the sea remain at a boiling point.