„Evelin Banev was declared an international wanted man in 2018. His last official crossing through the Bulgarian border was on July 13, 2013. Then he was escorted from Italy. After that, there is no information about his travels“.
This is what the Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Kalin Stoyanov said regarding the appearance of Evelyn Banev-Brendo, wanted by Europol.
Banev surrendered voluntarily to the Sofia prison to serve his 6-year sentence in Bulgaria. In Italy, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and in Romania – 10 years old.
At the beginning of 2023, an inspection was carried out due to a power of attorney issued to a lawyer to defend Evelin Banev. The power of attorney is certified by the mayor's deputy in the village of Tlachene.
Brendo's ID card and driver's license are valid until 2026. Banev was detained in 2021 in Ukraine because of his wanted list. According to a decision of the Court of Appeal in Kyiv, Brendo was later released because he has Ukrainian citizenship.
The acting Minister of the Interior specified that checks were then carried out at addresses where it was possible that Brendo was hiding.
„On June 24, Evelyn Banev-Brendo voluntarily appeared in front of the Sofia prison, carrying the valid identity card issued in 2016”, Kalin Stoyanov also said.
According to Tihomir Bezlov from the Center for the Study of Democracy, Brendo was a key factor in the import of cocaine from Spain to Italy, and tons of drugs passed through his channel.
„His appearance shows that he has chosen what to do. People who have an impression of it, it is a well calculated effort. There is a hypothesis that he is guarding against revenge. The other thesis is that it puts the Bulgarian court in a situation to interpret how the sentences from Italy and Romania should be interpreted and that they be shortened, Bezlov added.