Galabin Boevski used his celebrity in sports for illegal drug trade

Galabin Boevski, a Bulgarian weightlifter, World Champion and Olympic Champion, was sentenced to 9 months in prison because of illicit international drug trade. This sportsman was arrested in October 2011 at the Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil after he tried to board the plane with eight kg of cocaine. This sportsman was headed to Bulgaria. Cocaine was estimated. It could be sold at the price of 500, 000 dollars on the streets in European countries.  
Galabin Boevski is a celebrated athlete in Bulgaria. He is considered to be one of the most well-known weightlifters in this country.
First he was caught administering steroids in 1995. Undoubtedly, he was sentenced to suspension.
Then this weightlifter was caught doping in 2004. It was the second time when he broke doping laws. In fact, Galabin Boevski didn’t test positive for any banned drugs. But anti-doping officials defined that he didn’t provide own urine. The urine which was provided by this weightlifter belonged to another person. As a result, Galabin Boevski was sentenced to 8-year suspension. During serving the suspension he was caught trafficking cocaine.
Boevski became celebrated due to his success in weightlifting. This athlete won gold medals at some competitions: at the 1999 World Weightlifting Championships in Athens, the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and the 2001 World Weightlifting Championships in Antalya.
At the 2003 World Championships in Vancouver this athlete and his teammates from Bulgaria provided urine samples which belonged to another individual. It was defined by anti-doping officials that the 3 urine samples belonged to one individual. These sportsmen were sentenced to suspensions. Boevski appealed the suspension but it was not successful.
Boevski broke certain world records at different competitions. He held three world records. The best lifts of this sportsman were following: a 162, 5 kg snatch, 196, 5 kg clean and jerk and a 357, 5 kg of two lifts at the 1999 Championships.
It is wondering but this sportsman’s reputation was not spoiled in Bulgaria. He used his status of celebrity in sports in order to launch a Technogym fitness center in Sofia. The center was called Atama Wellness and Spa.
Moreover, Maria Isabel do Prado, the Brazilian judge, noticed that Boevski utilized also his status of celebrity in sports in order to traffic the narcotic cocaine. She also noted that this sportsperson utilized the participation of his daughter in a Brazilian tennis tournament in order to hide his illicit deals linked with trafficking of the narcotic.
The weightlifter Galabin Boevski decided to appeal the conviction.