Smuggling Kingpin “Pascal” Admits Guilt, Gets Suspended Sentence

Nikola Nikolov, known as "Pascal" and described by investigators as a long-standing figure in cigarette smuggling, has admitted guilt and finalized a plea deal with the prosecution. The agreement, approved by the Sofia City Court at the end of March, imposes a suspended prison sentence of two years and eight months, along with a four-year probation period. He is also required to pay a fine of 25,000 leva.

In his confession, Pascal acknowledged involvement in three separate charges, including participation in an organized criminal group. According to the case, the network included Marin and Stefan Dimitrov, former customs chief Petya Bankova, and former Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev. He admitted that the group operated between August 2022 and early April 2024, when several of its alleged members were detained.

Pascal further accepted responsibility for five instances of cigarette trafficking with a total value approaching 9.5 million leva. He stated that the operations were carried out using falsified documents, naming Stefan Dimitrov, Petya Bankova and former Border Police director Petar Subev as accomplices. He also confirmed that large quantities of illicit cigarettes were stored in the village of Tsrancha, where, together with Stefan Dimitrov, he kept 750,500 packs without tax stamps between late December 2023 and early April 2024. The goods, he said, had been brought in from Serbia.

Beyond the imposed fine, he must also cover part of the legal expenses, amounting to one-sixth of nearly 80,000 leva accumulated so far in the proceedings. Pascal had been extradited from Serbia to Bulgaria at the end of August last year, after which he was detained and formally charged by the Anti-Corruption Commission. He was later released on bail set at 50,000 leva. The investigation itself began in April 2024, following the arrests of Petya Bankova and the Dimitrovs.