Dan Petrescu Says He is Drugs Free

Soccer coach Dan Petrescu says he has no connection with illegal drugs trafficking and that the only time his name and illegal drugs were associated was in November 2002, when he and his former wife were customers in a night-club when police raided it and found the illegal substances on the premises. Prosecutors summoned Petrescu as a witness in a hearing for the "Cocaine" file, which is likely to end up opening criminal files for a good number of highly visible people.
In a Saturday press-conference, Petrescu said: "I will be called as a witness to describe what happened in November 2002, … , when my former wife’s and my only guilt was to be customers of a night-club when police raided it and found a small package of illegal drugs there."

Petrescu said he was never called in for questioning before, and that investigators subpoenaed him two days before. He did not give details to the media on what happened in that night of November 2002, saying that it is for prosecutors to hear them first. "Finally, I want to state that I have nothing to do with the trafficking or the consumption of illegal drugs and least so with the facts related to the so-called Cocaine-file," said Petrescu.

The soccer coach criticized the Prosecutor-General, Ilie Bots, for publicly identifying him as a witness in this case, as he was the only witness given such treatment. Petrescu said that publicly linking his name to the on-going investigation was a liability since "people interested in distorting the facts for not getting accountable under the criminal law" might contact him to that end.
Botos, stated Friday that soccer-coach Dan Petrescu and his former wife, Dana, will be heard as witnesses by prosecutors with the Highest Court of Appeal.

The high-flying figures already indicted for alleged illegal drugs trafficking are: Raluca Sandu and Robert Mircea Sandu, daughter and nephew, respectively, of Mircea Sandu, president of the Romanian Soccer Federation.
A criminal charge for trafficking and consumption of illegal drugs was also brought against Ion Alexandru Tiriac, (TR. NOTE: son of former tennis player Ion Tiriac, now a successful businessman and president of the Romanian Olympic Committee). Tiriac junior was also indicted for opening his home to drugs consumption. His girlfriend, Ileana Lazariuc, (TR. NOTE: a photo-model and daughter of pop-singer Anastasia Lazariuc), was charged with "drug position for own consumption." Eleven people have been arrested so far in this case dubbed the Cocaine file, registered at no. 117/2004 by the Anti-drugs and Anti-criminal Organizations Squad of the Prosecutor-General’s Office.