Gym Trainer on the Run: Virgin Active Reports Fugitive to Authorities

Key Takeaways:

• Stan Stamenov, a personal trainer at Virgin Active in Constantia, Cape Town, has been exposed as a fugitive wanted by Romania in connection with drug trafficking.
• Stamenov’s full name is Stanislav Stamenov, and he is listed on an Interpol Red Notice for "trafficking in drugs".
• Virgin Active has suspended Stamenov with immediate effect and is conducting an internal review, with their legal team contacting the relevant authorities.
• The South African Police Service (SAPS) has not commented on the matter, while the Western Cape Hawks are dealing with it.
• Stamenov’s legal issues date back to 2009, when he was allegedly involved in a high-risk drug trafficking network in Romania.

Introduction to the Scandal
Virgin Active, a popular gym chain, has found itself at the center of a scandal after one of its personal trainers, Stan Stamenov, was exposed as a fugitive wanted by Romania in connection with drug trafficking. The news was broken by Daily Maverick, which reported that Stamenov was offering his services at the Virgin Active gym in the upmarket Cape Town suburb of Constantia, despite being a wanted man. Stamenov’s full name is Stanislav Stamenov, and he is listed on an Interpol Red Notice for "trafficking in drugs".

The Investigation and Response
After Daily Maverick sent Virgin Active a query about Stamenov, the company responded by saying he had been suspended with immediate effect while an internal review process was underway. Virgin Active was also trying to confirm whether Stamenov was indeed the same person whom Interpol flagged as wanted by Romania. The company’s head of customer service, Jacqui Walter, stated that their legal team had made contact with the relevant authorities and that the matter was being treated with the utmost seriousness. However, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has not commented on the matter, while the Western Cape Hawks are dealing with it.

Stamenov’s Past and Interpol Red Notice
Stamenov’s photograph and details were on a wall inside the Virgin Active gym, as well as on a Virgin Active online platform, under the name Stan Stamenov. However, another photograph under the name Stanislav Stamenov was on an Interpol Red Notice, which is a request to law enforcement worldwide to provisionally arrest an individual. The Interpol Red Notice for Stamenov said he was wanted by Romania, and this related to "trafficking in drugs". Stamenov’s legal issues appear to stretch back at least 17 years, to 2009, when he was allegedly involved in a high-risk drug trafficking network in Romania.

Romania’s Involvement and Stamenov’s Sentence
In 2009, Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIOCT) issued a statement that referred to a man with the same full name as Stamenov. The statement said that 29 people – "members of an organised criminal group" – were arrested for alleged involvement in "high-risk drug trafficking". Stamenov is named in Bucharest Court of Appeal proceedings, linked to 2009, and is wanted over a warrant for the execution of a prison sentence. The Romanian police website says that a court in Bucharest issued the warrant for the execution of a 16-year jail sentence dating back to 2013 "for committing the offence of high-risk drug trafficking".

Aftermath and Current Status
When Daily Maverick called the number Stamenov used for his personal training services, a woman answered and agreed that this journalist could send a WhatsApp, as he was busy. However, this journalist was subsequently blocked, and a second WhatsApp message sent to the number, as well as a call to the number, did not go through. The Interpol website makes it clear that it "cannot compel the law enforcement authorities in any country to arrest someone who is the subject of a Red Notice". Each member country decides what legal value it gives to a Red Notice and the authority of their law enforcement officers to make arrests. The situation is still unfolding, and it remains to be seen how the authorities will proceed with Stamenov’s case.