BUCHAREST, Romania — A man known as Nutzu the Pawnbroker has been
indicted for leading a fearsome criminal gang, but the public seems
to be more interested in his pets: four lions and two bears.
Ion Balint — his real name — had long been known to have an
affinity for wild beasts in his home.
"You
said I fed men to the lions?" Balint was recorded saying on a
videotape as he rode away from prison on a black stallion in 2010.
"Why don't you come over and I'll give you some lions!"
Authorities won't confirm that the lions and bears were used to
intimidate rivals at his high-walled and heavily guarded estate in
the poorest part of Bucharest. The compound also contained less
fearsome beasts, including thoroughbred horses and canaries.
Balint, 48, a stocky man with a mustache and a receding hairline,
often appears dressed in T-shirts and tracksuits.
The
Romanian news media were awash in unconfirmed reports about
Balint's excesses, reporting that he used the lions and bears to
intimidate rivals and that his house contained a torture
chamber.
His
son-in-law, Marius Vlad, told The Associated Press on Wednesday
that the reports were false.
"Many
untruths are being reported," he said.
Bystanders and relatives who gathered near the gates of the estate
described Balint as a good neighbor and an animal lover, and said
they weren't bothered by roaring lions.
"We
can hear them every day, but only when they're hungry or the female
is in heat," said Gabriela Ionescu, 36, clutching her toddler
daughter's hand. "They don't disturb us at all."
Authorities allege that Balint and his brother Vasile headed a
criminal network which controlled much of the underworld activity
in Bucharest, a city of 2 million. Some 400 police and detectives
were involved in the
investigation which led to the arrest last week of 67 suspects,
including the Balint brothers.
In
2009, Balint was convicted of human trafficking, violence and
pimping, and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
That
was reduced to six years, but Balint was free after a year.
On
Wednesday, the four lions and two bears were sedated, put in cages
and removed by environmental authorities and the Vier Pfoten animal
welfare charity. The animals, which generally appeared in good
condition, will be temporarily housed in a zoo and may eventually
be relocated in South Africa, animal welfare officers said.
Mircea
Pupaza, commissioner of the National Environment Guard, told The
Associated Press that Balint had no documentation or health records
for the animals, which he's kept illegally for 10 years. He could
face a year in prison and a hefty fine for illegally keeping wild
animals.
"The
lions are a status symbol for him," said Livia Cimpoeru, a Vier
Pfoten spokeswoman. She declined to speculate whether they had a
more sinister purpose.
The four lions and two bears were removed Wednesday by
environmental authorities. Some say Ion Balint, known as Nutzu the
Pawnbroker, used the animals to intimidate
rivals.
