2011-10-12 Hollywood Megastars guarded by Bulgarian Mega Mafia
Movie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis and Jason Statham are actually in Bulgaria for the shooting of the "The Expendables 2" at the Nu Boyana Film Studios.
Bodyguard services are provided by a Bulgarian security firm connected to the most powerful local organized crime group TIM, according to secret cables sent from the US Embassy in Sofia and published by Wikileaks.
Pictures taken during Schwarzenegger's arrival at the Sofia International Airport, published in Bulgarian media, show a Mercedes SUV, waiting for the actor, with license plate C4401XA, registered to a company owned by the Varna-based TIM and commonly used by the TIM boss Ivo Kamenov. According to unconfirmed reports, the SUV is armored to the 7b level, which is very rare in Bulgaria.
Another picture portrays kick boxer Todor Todorov standing close to Schwarzenegger. Todorov is a competitor of the TIM sports club and a bodyguard, employed by the Sark Group company, founded in 2004 by the former chief of security of TIM boss Marin Mitev.
The security activities of TIM are spread among several firms with the most popular one being TIM EOOD, offering VIP security services in Bulgaria and abroad, according to the official internet page tim.bg.
The Nu Boyana studios, contacted by bivol.bg, have declined giving information about the company providing security for Hollywood stars, shooting in Sofia, and in particular for Schwarzenegger.
TIM - "The up-and-coming star of Bulgarian organized crime"
In a diplomatic cable from 2005, TIM is called by former US Ambassador in Sofia, James Pardew "The up-and-coming star of Bulgarian organized crime".
This cable exposing the Bulgarian organized crime is an interesting case in the Cablegate, as it was first published by The Guardian heavily edited. Investigative journalist David Leigh commented in the WLCentral site, that the informations about the individuals exposed in the cable "were vetted by our libel lawyers".
"As an organized crime group, TIM is involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including extortion and racketeering, intimidation, prostitution, gambling, narcotics trafficking, car theft, and trafficking in stolen automobiles."- Ambassador Pardew wrote in the cable addressed to the State Department and the CIA. [05SOFIA1207]
Six years later the TIM star rised up to become the most powerfull and "most modern form of organized crime", according to the investigative German journalist, Jurgen Roth.
Information about the TIM group is also heavily vetted in the mainstream Bulgarian media, as the bosses are known to react nervously to any publication mentioning them. "If it comes from foreign media, we might publish the translation" - one media outlet editor told Bivol.
The Terminator meets the Bulgarian Batman
Meanwhile, on Monday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov visited the Nu Boyana Film Studios to meet Schwarzenegger.
"I am very happy to be in Bulgaria and that we have such good relations" - Schwarzenegger said. According to media reports, he even invited Borissov to have a part in the The Expendables 2 movie, but the Prime Minister declined with a joke, referring to his Prime Minister duties.
Borissov role as a though guy in the Hollywood superproduction would sound natural according to another American diplomatic cables, where he's described as "Batman" and "Armani clad though guy", with close ties to the Bulgarian organized crime
"Accusations in years past have linked Borisov to oil-siphoning scandals, illegal deals involving LUKoil and major traffic in methamphetamines." - US Ambassador Bayerle wrote in 2006. According to the cable, "Borisov is alleged to have used his former position as head of Bulgarian law enforcement to arrange cover for criminal deals, and his common-law wife, Tsvetelina Borislavova, manages a large Bulgarian bank that has been accused of laundering money for organized criminal groups, as well as for Borisov's own illegal transactions." [06SOFIA647]
Borissov and TIM had common business in the past. In 1996 he shared with the TIM leader Ivo Kamenov ownership of an illegal factory producing cigarettes, documents discovered by Bivol showed.
TIM remains among the "untouchables" in Bulgaria, and despite their reputation and foreign intelligence reports the group was never investigated by the authorities. The business empire built by Kamenov and Mitev continues to grow and reputable Western firms like Lufthansa and Fraport are running common business with them.
"After all, it's quite logical that the bodyguards for such a star are from TIM. If they were protected by the Bulgarian police it would be much less secure." - popular blogger Komitatacommented bitterly.