Vasil Iliev Security, or VIS, was a criminal organisation in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
dealing in
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
,
car theft
Motor vehicle theft (also known as a car theft and, in the United States, grand theft auto) is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle. Nationwide in the United States in 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reported ...
,
drug trafficking and more. Set up in the early 1990s by
Vasil Iliev
Vasil Iliev ( bg, Васил Илиев; January 22, 1965 – April 25, 1995) was a Bulgarian mobster, businessman and wrestler.
Background
Vasil Iliev was born in 1965 in Kyustendil, Bulgaria. He was a very successful wrestler, becoming a nati ...
, the company was declared illegal in 1994, but continued operating under the new name of VIS-2.
VIS, along with its rival
SIC
The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...
, was made up primarily of ex-wrestlers, policemen and members of the security apparatus. As well as extortion rackets, the groups also worked in "car insurance" and theft. The capital they earned in the emerging Bulgarian economy of the 1990s allowed them to build huge influence amongst the government.
Vasil Iliev
Vasil Iliev ( bg, Васил Илиев; January 22, 1965 – April 25, 1995) was a Bulgarian mobster, businessman and wrestler.
Background
Vasil Iliev was born in 1965 in Kyustendil, Bulgaria. He was a very successful wrestler, becoming a nati ...
was assassinated on 25 April 1995. His brother
Georgi Iliev became the new boss of the company, but was assassinated on 26 August 2005.
[*]
See also
*
Security Insurance Company
Security Insurance Company (SIC) was a security and insurance company in Bulgaria. Thought to be a front for a criminal organisation. SIC, along with its rival VIS, was made up primarily of ex-wrestlers, policemen and members of the security appa ...
*
Bulgarian mafia
The Bulgarian mafia ( bg, мафия) is a series of organized crime elements originating from Bulgaria.
Organized crime groups and activities
Modern organized crime is associated with the early 1990s, when weak power and continuous change of go ...
References
{{Authority control
Security companies of Bulgaria
Organized crime groups in Bulgaria
Insurance companies of Bulgaria
Defunct companies of Bulgaria