Spain hands over Bulgarian man who fled house arrest

Spain has handed 39-year-old Stoyan Kolev, who escaped house arrest and was put on a nationwide wanted list, over to the Bulgarian authorities. The news came from the Chief Directorate "Security" (Ohrana) at the Ministry of Justice.

The handover was carried out under a European arrest warrant issued by the District Court in Pazardzhik in an ordinary criminal case. Directorate officers took the man into custody at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport and escorted him to Bulgaria.

The procedure in Madrid began at 10:00 am Spanish time. The directorate said the handover was completed at 2:30 pm today. Ohrana said Kolev was transported in line with the rules and with the necessary security measures.

The SIRENE Bureau in Spain told the Bulgarian authorities about the approved handover through the International Operational Cooperation Directorate at the Interior Ministry.

Kolev was arrested on the Trakia motorway for driving under the influence of drugs and road hooliganism. The court in Pazardzhik put him under house arrest, but he broke the order and fled. Interior minister Ivan Demerdzhiev had earlier said Kolev was detained in Valencia.