Bulgarian Mafia Boss Returned to Jail for 18 Months

Drug boss Mityo Ochite ("Eyes") (middle) will be jailed for 18 more months. Photo by BGNES

Bulgarian drug boss Dimitar Zhelyazkov, aka Mityo Ochite (i.e. the Eyes), will serve 18 more months in jail after the Burgas Appellate Court extended his sentence.

In 2008, Zhelyazkov was sentenced to 4 years and 10 months for heading an organized crime group specializing in drug distribution on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. His sentence was below the minimum stipulated by law because he made an arrangement with the prosecution to plead guilty.

Back then, Zhelyazkov's sentenced was widely advertised by the three-way coalition government as a sign that it was cracking down on mafia bosses even though few, if any, such sentences of high-profile criminals have been seen since then.

In 2000-2007, Zhelyazkov had 7 sentences but somehow failed to spend much time in jail. If he had not made a deal with the prosecution, he could have been sentenced to up to 16 years in jail.

As the court in Pleven ordered his release from the Belene prison in January 2011, the Burgas prosecution demanded that his total sentenced be increased to 7 years and 3 months since he failed to obey his deal from 2008.

Friday's ruling of the Burgas Appellate Court has rounded his overall jail term to 6 years and 4 months, which means that he will have to spend 18 more months in prison.

While Zhelyazkov was jailed, however, there were frequent reports in the Bulgarian media that his regime in jail was extremely relaxed, and that he was let on long leaves, and detected at beach parties.