Georgi Iliev
Georgi Andreev Iliev (Bulgarian: Георги Андреев Илиев) (July 22nd, 1966 – August 25th, 2005) was a Bulgarian ex-wrestler, businessman, and crime boss, best known for his ownership of a top Bulgarian football team, Lokomotiv Plovdiv and for being the younger brother and second-in-command of the late crime boss Vasil Iliev.
Early life[edit]
In his early years, he won several wrestling competitions and a few gold medals but had to stop his sports career because of a criminal conviction due to his involvement in a group rape. Upon his release from prison, he became something of a small-time criminal. After the death of his brother Vasil Iliev, he became the boss of his brother's criminal organization called VIS, which fronted as a legitimate security and insurance provider. The former head secretary of the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs Boyko Borisov claims to information showing Georgi Iliev's involvement in drug dealing and smuggling operations. According to Grigor Lilov, author of "The Richest Bulgarians", Georgi Iliev had amassed a fortune of over $250 million.
He is also thought to have taken an eighteen-year-old Dimitar Berbatov hostage with plans of making him sign for his football team. Berbatov's father contacted CSKA Sofia's boss Iliya Pavlov who set things straight.
Death[edit]
He was shot and killed at a restaurant in Sunny Beach, a resort town on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast near the city of Bourgas, by a suspected sniper. Iliev's murder was suspected to be part of an ongoing turf war between rival criminal gangs and just like his brother Vasil, his murder remains unsolved.