Overview

• Bulgarian authorities detained Simeonov on July 18 at a family home under a European arrest warrant issued by the Sección Quinta de la Audiencia Provincial de Valencia.
• He was convicted on June 30 of gang raping a 14-year-old at a birthday gathering in Vall d’Albaida and handed a 12-year sentence.
• Simeonov fled Spain immediately after sentencing, crossing Schengen borders before Bavarian police logged only an identification alert without detention orders.
• His extradition to Spain will be carried out through coordinated efforts between Spanish and Bulgarian law enforcement under EU judicial cooperation mechanisms.
• His co-defendant, Simeon Stefanov, received a 20-year term for the same crime and remains at large under a national arrest order.