‘Cocaine dealer’ deported to UK and ‘fraudster’ to China as SA cops go quiet on fugitive personal trainer

An alleged drug dealer was deported from South Africa to the UK last week and just two days later, a fraud suspect was sent back to China.

The latter matter has revealed that at least 18 other fugitives from China are hiding in this country.

Both the extraditions – to the UK and to China – happened last week, which coincides with when Daily Maverick reported on how a personal trainer, offering his services at a Virgin Active gym in the Cape Town suburb of Constantia, was a fugitive.

He went by the name Stan Stamenov at the gym. It was established that he was actually Stanislav Stamenov, who, according to the international police organisation Interpol, is a Bulgarian wanted by Romania for drug trafficking.

Stamenov was also reportedly a bodyguard for Krasimir Kamenov, who was murdered along with his wife, Gergana, and two employees in May 2023. All four were from Bulgaria and were fatally shot in the Kamenov’s home in Constantia.

Kamenov was wanted in Bulgaria in connection with a policeman’s murder.

‘Virgin Active followed due process’

Last week, in response to questions from Daily Maverick about Stamenov, Virgin Active said he had been suspended with immediate effect and that an investigation had been launched into the saga.

On Monday, 2 February 2026, Virgin Active’s customer service head, Jacqui Walter, said there were no updates on the matter.

However, she answered a Daily Maverick question about Stamenov’s appointment as a contracted personal trainer, saying: “Virgin Active followed the required due diligence processes applicable at the time in respect of all personal trainers operating within our clubs, including contractual compliance and the submission of supporting documentation as guided by our legal team.”

The South African Police Service (SAPS), meanwhile, did not respond to repeated requests from Daily Maverick for comment on Stamenov.

Read more: Virgin Active alerts authorities after gym trainer exposed as drug trafficking fugitive

It is therefore not clear what has happened to him.

Daily Maverick tried contacting him last week, but it seems the cellphone he was using was switched off after that, or this journalist was blocked.

As of Monday, his photograph and details remained on an Interpol “red notice”, which calls for police worldwide to provisionally arrest a listed person.

‘18 Chinese fugitives hiding in SA’

Meanwhile, there have been developments in other cases involving fugitives in South Africa.

On Friday, 30 January, the SAPS announced that Interpol handed over a fraud accused, Fujia Chen, to a delegation from China.

This case revealed that more wanted Chinese suspects are in the country.

According to a police statement on Chen’s extradition: “During a meeting with the Chinese delegation, led by the Acting Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Khosi Senthumule, progress was provided on the imminent arrest of 18 other Chinese fugitives who are hiding in South Africa.”

Eleven of them had been placed on Interpol red notices (as in Stamenov’s case).

The SAPS statement issued last week said Chen had allegedly “defrauded the Chinese government of R120-million by running an unregistered foreign currency exchange business”.

He fled to South Africa in 2021, while his alleged accomplices were arrested in China.

Chen tried to apply for a US visa while hiding in South Africa, but this is what tipped authorities off about his location.

“He was arrested and has been in custody for the past six months,” the SAPS statement from last week said. An extradition order was granted against him on 20 January, which led to his removal from the country 10 days later.

Alleged cocaine dealer deported to UK

Meanwhile, two evenings before Chen was extradited, alleged drug dealer Benjamin May was deported to the UK.

The province’s National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said in a statement last week that May was wanted in the UK for cocaine dealing.

This relates to an offence that happened between 6 August and 13 June 2019 and another between 25 May and 13 June 2020.

According to Ntabazalila’s statement, May had conspired with six others to supply cocaine to another person in the UK. The six were arrested and sentenced in that country.

Codename ‘splitcactus’

“May was identified as the user of an encrypted EncroChat device responsible for arranging the distribution of cocaine to various contacts around the [UK], including in South Wales,” Ntabazalila said.

“He used the Encrochat handles ‘illusivebone’ and ‘splitcactus’.”

On 6 June 2020, a drug courier was arrested while transporting 12kg of cocaine to South Wales.

May’s fingerprints were lifted from one of two black bags containing the cocaine.

Read more: No business like blow business: Encrypted devices unravel knots of worldwide organised crime

“Following the courier’s arrest, messages were sent by the EncroChat handle ‘splitcactus’ referencing the arrest and stating that he is planning to leave the country,” Ntabazailia’s statement said.

May fled the UK shortly after those messages were sent. On 7 June 2020, he took a train from Folkestown in England to Coquelles in France.

From there, May fled to Cape Town, where he was arrested nearly five years later in February 2025, which was when the UK requested his extradition. A judge in Cardiff had issued an arrest warrant for him in September 2023.

According to Ntabazalia, the warrant “stated that May was being sought on two charges of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, cocaine”.

He was not released on bail, and all this ultimately led to his extradition last Wednesday. DM