Nik Radev
Encyclopedia
Nikolai "The Russian" Radev (29 January 1959 – 15 April 2003) was a Bulgaria
n refugee
who became known as a career criminal in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
.
During his life he was jailed for assault
, blackmail
, threats to kill, extortion
, firearm offences, armed robbery and drug charges. According to police he was an enforcer for the Melbourne head of the Russian mafia
, robbing drug dealers.
Radev was shot and killed in Queen St Coburg
on 15 April 2003 in a series of similar events that are commonly referred to as the Melbourne gangland killings
.
He was shot seven times in the head and chest in front of his bodyguard after he stood out from his black Mercedes Benz CLK 500 convertible. A third person in Nic Radev's entourage was driving a light green 2000 Toyota Camry CSI sedan parked directly in front of his Mercedes Benz near the corner of Queen & Reynard Streets, Coburg also witnessed the murder.
Victoria Police
told The Age
that they believed his death was planned by a father and son drug manufacturing team, and a hitman suspected of four other murders carried out the killing in a red Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo sedan. His associates Damien Cossu and Alfonso Traglia were with Radev at the time of the murder but claimed they could not identify the gunman, and were subsequently named by police as 'persons of interest'.
Despite only having worked for eight months during the 1980s at a fish and chip shop, Radev was killed wearing Versace clothing and a $20,000 watch, and was laid to rest in a gold-plated coffin.
Victoria Police
suspected Andrew Veniamin
and Carl Williams were behind the killing.
He was portrayed by Don Hany
in the Australian TV series Underbelly
and the subsiquent telemovie Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer was Here
.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
who became known as a career criminal in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
During his life he was jailed for assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
, blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
, threats to kill, extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, firearm offences, armed robbery and drug charges. According to police he was an enforcer for the Melbourne head of the Russian mafia
Russian Mafia
The Russian Mafia is a name applied to organized crime syndicates in Russia and Ukraine. The mafia in various countries take the name of the country, as for example the Ukrainian mafia....
, robbing drug dealers.
Radev was shot and killed in Queen St Coburg
Coburg, Victoria
Coburg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland, although a handful of properties on Coburg's Eastern boundary are located in the City of Darebin...
on 15 April 2003 in a series of similar events that are commonly referred to as the Melbourne gangland killings
Melbourne gangland killings
The Melbourne gangland killings were the murders in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia of 36 criminal figures or partners between 16 January 1998 and 13 August 2010. The murders were in a series of retributional murders involving various underworld groups. The deaths caused a sustained power vacuum...
.
He was shot seven times in the head and chest in front of his bodyguard after he stood out from his black Mercedes Benz CLK 500 convertible. A third person in Nic Radev's entourage was driving a light green 2000 Toyota Camry CSI sedan parked directly in front of his Mercedes Benz near the corner of Queen & Reynard Streets, Coburg also witnessed the murder.
Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
told The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
that they believed his death was planned by a father and son drug manufacturing team, and a hitman suspected of four other murders carried out the killing in a red Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo sedan. His associates Damien Cossu and Alfonso Traglia were with Radev at the time of the murder but claimed they could not identify the gunman, and were subsequently named by police as 'persons of interest'.
Despite only having worked for eight months during the 1980s at a fish and chip shop, Radev was killed wearing Versace clothing and a $20,000 watch, and was laid to rest in a gold-plated coffin.
Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
suspected Andrew Veniamin
Andrew Veniamin
Andrew "Benji" Veniamin was an Australian criminal, convicted car thief, murderer accused of killing 7 underworld figures and was one of the key figures involved in the Melbourne underworld killings...
and Carl Williams were behind the killing.
He was portrayed by Don Hany
Don Hany
Don Hany is an Australian award-winning actor. He is best known for his role in the series White Collar Blue, the film Lucky Miles and in the mini-series East West 101.-Biography:...
in the Australian TV series Underbelly
Underbelly (TV series)
Underbelly is a 13-part Australian television mini-series that retells the real events of the 1995–2004 gangland war in Melbourne, and is the first series in the larger Underbelly Franchise. It depicts the key players in Melbourne's criminal underworld, including the Carlton Crew and their rival,...
and the subsiquent telemovie Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer was Here
Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer was Here
Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer was Here is an Australian made-for-television movie that aired on February 7, 2011 on the Nine Network. It is the first of three television movies in the Underbelly Files series, the other two being Infiltration and The Man Who Got Away.It tells the true story of...
.