Bulgarian Women Claiming Abuse by Spanish Police Left in Jail

The two Bulgarian women who claim to have been accused by Spanish police remain in prison on charges of drug trafficking, photo BGNES

The Spanish court in Madrid has turned down the appeal of the two Bulgarian women accused of cocaine trafficking.

According to the Court's decision, Maya Stoilkova and Paulina Stoilkova will remain in prison on suspicions they trafficked drugs from Latin America to Europe, explained Bulgaria Consul in Madrid, Maya Stefanova, as cited by Darik Radio.

Last week, the two young women sent an open letter to the Bulgarian media, in which they claimed to have been mistreated and abused by Spanish police, and to have been kept in detention unlawfully.

In February 2010, the two Bulgarian women were arrested at the Madrid airport on charges of cocaine smuggling.

The two 20-year-olds were returning from a trip to Lima when they were searched by authorities at the Madrid Airport and charged with the possession of 1 kg of cocaine.

The Bulgarian women claim innocence and insist that their bags have been swapped at the airport in Lima.

The two accused have already found lawyers, according to Consul Stefanova. She said it is unclear whether their attorneys are state-appointed or hired by the women's families.

According to Spanish law, foreign prisoners have a right to a lawyer and a interpreter, a medical examination as well as to contact their country's diplomatic mission.

Bulgaria's diplomatic mission says that Maya Stoikova and Paulina Stoilkova have not asked for any of those things. However, the two claim they have actually been denied those rights by the Spanish law enforcement officers, who treated them “like animals.”

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