Brother of Bulgarian football star Berbatov handed suspended sentence on drug charges
Assen Berbatov, the younger brother of former Manchester United striker Dimitar, was handed a suspended sentence of 14 months in jail, with a three-year probation period, reports in Bulgarian media said on January 26.
Berbatov was accused of selling cocaine on two separate occasions, in November 2012 and March 2013, in his hometown of Blagoevgrad, in south-western Bulgaria. The sentence was a result of a guilty plea and a deal with the prosecutor’s office, mass-circulation daily 24 Chasa reported.
He also faced separate charges of driving without a valid licence and had his licence suspended for a period of one year, the report said.
This is the second suspended sentence on drug-related charges for Assen Berbatov, having been sentenced to one year in jail on charges of possession by the Dupnitsa city court, which he is appealing at the Kyustendil district court, 24 Chasa reported. In October 2012, police found about 20 grams of cocaine hidden in a baby car seat.
Assen Berbatov made headlines on other occasions as well – in April 2010, police raided his apartment on drug-related suspicions, local daily Strouma reported at the time, but found nothing. Just months later, in July 2010, British tabloid The Sun reported that Assen Berbatov had been kidnapped and held for ransom, but the family and local police denied the claims, saying he was in a seaside resort.
(Photo: Jason Morisson/sxc.hu)