Ognyan Atanasov, known publicly as Petrich's Escobar, is free again and there is no longer a measure of detention. Until now, he was on bail of 5,000 leva.
The District Prosecutor's Office in Blagoevgrad confirmed to “Sega“ that the measure has been dropped due to the expiration of the statutory period for procedural coercion. The Criminal Procedure Code provides that the measures be canceled when, in the case of a serious crime, the investigation has lasted more than a year and a half from the time the accused was brought in. For other crimes, the period is eight months.
This does not mean the case has been terminated or the charges have been dropped. In case of violation of procedural obligations or an attempt to evade arrest, a preventive measure may be imposed again.
The charges are for drugs and an organized group
Atanasov is accused of participating in an organized criminal group and distributing drugs in particularly large quantities with a dangerous recidivism. A total of seven people have been charged in the same case.
The investigation began after an operation by the Directorate for the Prevention of Drug Trafficking in Persons in the Blagoevgrad region in February 2025. Then, about 5 kilograms of cocaine were seized, estimated by the prosecutor's office at over 400,000 leva. More than 10 people were detained during the operation, and seven of them were charged.
The investigation has already been completed, and the materials have been submitted to the District Prosecutor's Office in Blagoevgrad. The accused must familiarize themselves with them and have the right to make objections and requests for evidence. The supervising prosecutor will then decide whether to file an indictment with the court.
Atanasov was pardoned in 2022.
The case also attracted public attention due to Atanasov's pardon on December 5, 2022, by Vice President Iliana Yotova. He had served a 15-year sentence in Bulgaria imposed in Greece for importing, trafficking and selling drugs.
The register of pardoned persons lists serious health conditions and the need for specialized treatment as reasons. During a briefing in February 2025, prosecutor Ivaylo Filipov stated: “He was released relatively soon after“ — on the occasion of accepting his sentence to serve in Bulgaria.
At the moment, no indictment has been filed in the new case, and the final decision on whether the case will go to court is yet to be made by the prosecutor's office.
Sources: offnews.bg, segabg.com, bntnews.bg