Shots Fired at Zlatomir Ivanov, aka Zlatko Baretata (‘the Beret’)

Bulgarian mobster Zlatomir Ivanov, aka Zlatko Baretata (The Beret), was shot and injured in front of the Central Courthouse in Bulgaria's capital Sofia at 9.30 in the morning of January 29, 2013 as he was entering the court session. According to news agencies, he received wounds in the stomach and his thigh. Ivanov is considered one of the big drug lords in Bulgaria. He was born Oct. 15, 1968 in a small village near the city of Stara Zagora, where he graduated the High School for Athletes. Former member of the Counter-terrorism Squad of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry (1991-1993); members of the Squad are known as “the Berets.” Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov, aka the Galevi Brothers, other notorious Bulgarian criminals, were his colleagues in the squad. In February 2012, Ivanov was sentenced by the First Instance Court to 8 years in prison on organized crime charges.

Officially, he has a share in a number of firms for security services, trade with oil, chemical, and pharmaceutical products, and owns gambling venues. Owner of the security company “Arkus.”