A blast rocked the Black Sea city of Bourgas late in the evening of April 24 2008, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported. The explosion happened in front of a residential building in the city centre and caused little damage. No one was injured.

Speculation in the Bulgarian-language media said that the blast was meant to be a warning to Kristian Kodjoukliev who is a resident of the building. He is the concessionaire of one of the most popular beaches in the resort town of Sozopol, 30km south of Bourgas.

According to the media, Kodjoukliev was close to Dimitar Zhelyazkov, aka Mityo Ochite (Mityo the Eyes), who is from another Black Sea resort town, Nessebar, 30km north of Bourgas.

In February, Zhelyazkov confessed that he was a drug boss and confirmed all allegations by Bourgas prosecutors office against him.

This meant that Zhelyazkov became the first officially recognised drug boss in Bulgaria. Zhelyazkov signed an agreement to co-operate with the Bourgas prosecution.

By admitting the accusations, Zhelyazkov agreed to serve four-and-a-half years in prison. Zhelyazkov and 16 of his close associates were arrested in April 2007 charged with participating in an organised drug and weapons smuggling ring.

The blast in Bourgas happened the same day as the new Interior Minister Mihail Mikov took his post.

Mikov succeeded Roumen Petkov who resigned on April 13 following immense public pressure prompted by his admission that he had held meeting with people under police investigation for the benefit of the Ministry and Bulgaria.