site.btaSwimmer Antani Ivanov Detained for Possession of Cannabis in Blagoevgrad, Calls Case a "Bad Coincidence"

One of the best Bulgarian swimmers in recent years, Antani Ivanov, was arrested on Wednesday for possession of cannabis in Blagoevgrad. He is currently serving a two-year suspension from competition for three failures to appear for out-of-competition doping tests within a year.

Wednesday afternoon, February 7, a 21-year-old man from Sandanski and a 24-year-old man from Veliko Tarnovo were checked by law enforcement in the Elenovo residential complex in Blagoevgrad. They have voluntarily handed over a plastic grinder with residues of weed mass and a glass pipe with weed mass, which after a field test reacted positively to cannabis with a total weight of about 0.4 grams. The two were detained with a detention order for up to 24 hours, the Blagoevgrad Regional Police Department said.

Ivanov admitted to the case, which he called a "bad coincidence".

"We are not behind bars. There was a small amount on us. The police searched us. Bad coincidence. I offered to take a test, the police didn't want to. Then they let us go," Ivanov told bTV.

"It just so happened I was with a friend of mine who I hadn't seen in a while. We intended to, but we didn't," the swimmer added.

He assured on several occasions that it never came to use, and the amount found was in his pocket.

"The police officers said it was a very small amount in terms of weight to have any serious consequences on me. They asked me where the drug was purchased from but I couldn't answer as I didn't make the purchase. Definitely bad publicity, it wasn't planned, I didn't mean to do something like that. In a moment of weakness. I already regret it and don't want it to happen again," Ivanov concluded.