New Document Suggests OneCoin Crypto Fraudster Ruja Ignatova was ‘Killed’ in Greece in 2018 by Drug Lord – What’s Going On?

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June 26, 2023 06:55 EDT

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Founder of the infamous crypto scam OneCoin, ‘CryptoQueen’ Ruja Ignatova was killed by a drug lord while on board a yacht in Greece, according to a new report published by investigative journalists.

According to the report, Ignatova was murdered on behalf of the infamous drug lord Hristoforos ‘Taki’ Amanatidis, who wanted to cover up his involvement in OneCoin. The murder is said to have happened in November of 2018.

Ignatova’s body was then allegedly tossed into the Ionian Sea, off the west coast of Greece.

The man who committed the murder was identified in the report as Hristo Hristov. He has later been detained on unrelated drug smuggling charges in the Netherlands, the report said.

The report was published on Friday last week on the website of Bulgaria’s Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data, BIRD.

It claimed that the information had been revealed by Bulgarian national Georgi Georgiev Vasilev while he was intoxicated. Vasilev is Amanatidis’ brother-in-law.

Documents found in dead police officer’s home

According to BIRD, the documents with the allegations were found in the home of Lyubomir Ivanov, a high-ranking Bulgarian police officer who was murdered last year. While searching his home, investigators reportedly found records of taped conversations that revealed the details about Ignatova’s murder.

So far, there has been no confirmation on the authenticity of the documents or the BIRD report by Bulgarian officials.

OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova has been wanted by Interpol since 2017. OneCoin is considered the biggest crypto scam so far, raising around $4bn before Ignatova disappeared with the money.

Ignatova’s whereabouts have remained unknown since she boarded a plane from Sofia, Bulgaria to Athens, Greece in October of 2017.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to Ignatova’s arrest.

Apartment put up for sale

Back in January this year, a London penthouse believed to be owned by Ruja Ignatova was put up for sale for £11 million. The property has largely been empty since Ignatova bought it, with the exception of a brief stay in 2016.

According to Jamie Bartlett, the host of The Missing Cryptoqueen podcast, the property listing suggests that Ignatova is still alive.

“The world’s most wanted woman is now officially listed as the ultimate beneficial owner of a London penthouse. It suggests she is still alive, and there are documents out there somewhere which contain vital clues as to her recent whereabouts,” Bartlett said at the time.