Stanislav Stamenov appears in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court in Cape Town on 2 March. Originally from Bulgaria, he faces a prison sentence in Romania for drug trafficking, and up until recently, was offering his personal training services at a Cape Town gym. (Photo: Gallo Images) Stanislav Stamenov, the fugitive wanted in Romania for drug trafficking and who was offering his services as a personal trainer at a Cape Town gym, will remain behind bars for at least the next couple of days following his arrest in the city.
The 41-year-old, originally from Bulgaria, appeared in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 2 March.
It was his first appearance since his arrest in the upmarket suburb of Constantia on Friday.
/file/attachments/orphans/IMG_5292copy_936042.jpg "Stanislav Stamenov appears in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town on Monday, 2 March. (Photo: David Harrison)")
During the proceedings, Stamenov’s lawyer claimed the arrest was unlawful.
The matter was postponed until Wednesday, and Stamenov will remain in custody at least until then.
Fugitive personal trainer
Stamenov was arrested last Friday, a month after Daily Maverick revealed that while operating as a personal trainer at the Virgin Active gym in Constantia, he was wanted in Romania, where he had been sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment for drug trafficking.
Stamenov was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, the international police organisation’s highest-level alert for the provisional arrest of fugitives
He used the name Stan Stamenov, and an advert for his personal training services — online and in the Constantia gym — included a photograph of him, which closely resembled the one on the Red Notice, as well as his contact details.
On Monday, when Stamenov appeared in court, the Red Notice for him remained on Interpol’s website.
‘Specialised’ unit carried out arrest
The SA Police Service (SAPS) said Stamenov was detained on Friday by the National Intervention Unit, a specialised wing focused on “intelligence-driven” and “targeted” crime responses.
#sapsHQ A 41yr-old, convicted drug trafficker was arrested on Friday morning at his home by the SAPS National Intervention Unit (NIU) in Cape Town. Stanislav Stamenov, a Bulgarian national, was sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment in Romania in 2009 but fled the country shortly… pic.twitter.com/Nvx3SB2jzb
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) February 27, 2026
The police said Stamenov was sentenced to 16 years in jail in Romania in 2009, but had “fled the country shortly after”.
“Stamenov was part of a large criminal organised group involved in the trafficking of heroin into Romania,” said the SAPS.
“It’s believed that he was hiding in Cape Town for several years, where he was now working as a gym instructor in several well-known fitness clubs.”
The statement referred to the case as an “extradition matter,” suggesting that the State may push for Stamenov to return to Romania to serve the prison term.
‘Hiding’ in plain sight
Based on what Daily Maverick ascertained about Stamenov, though, it did not appear that he was hiding.
He used his own name and photograph to advertise his personal training services.
Last week, Daily Maverick reported that Virgin Active had cut ties with Stamenov.
His probable presence in Cape Town was first publicised about three years ago.
This was after the murder of Krasimir Kamenov in May 2023. Kamenov was fatally shot, along with his wife, Gergana, and two of their employees, in his home in Constantia. All four were from Bulgaria.
Stamenov had reportedly been a employed as a bodyguard of Kamenov.
/file/attachments/orphans/Stanislav-Stamenov-as-depicted-on-an-Interpol-red-notice-screegrabbed-on-23-January-2026_579206.jpg "Stanislav Stamenov as depicted on an Interpol red notice screegrabbed on 23 January 2026. (Image: Supplied)")
After the quadruple murder in 2023, when Daily Maverick asked the police about Stamenov’s possible presence in Cape Town, the SAPS said the matter was part of an ongoing investigation that was at “an advanced and sensitive stage”.
Daily Maverick has reported that Stamenov was the co-director of a Western Cape fitness company, registered in September 2023 — roughly four months after the Kamenov killings.
Although he appears to have resigned last year, company records list him as a South African resident. Crucially, these filings indicate he was operating in Cape Town under his own name, the same identity flagged by Interpol’s Red Notice. DM