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<< Previous   of   Next >> HERALD STAFF PHOTO  (click to enlarge) Playing cards with photographs of cold case victims issued to inmates to help solve the crimes. Stoyan Kolew Jalamov is featured on the six of clubs.  Photo Gallery: Cold Case Cards   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Tips sought in Monroe cold case from 2000 10/30/09 • Families plead for tips on cold cases 5/24/09 • Cold-case playing cards bring police new leads 5/24/09 • Family of slain Machias woman waits for answers 5/17/09 • Cold Case: Unsolved shootings ended mother-daughter trail hike 5/10/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, April 26, 2009 Bulgarian's death likely tied to drugs By Diana Hefley Herald Writer GOLD BAR -- His life is as much of mystery as his death. Stoyan Kolew Jalamov, 47, was a Bulgarian national who sought political asylum in the U.S. in 1983. Four years later, his torso and severed legs were discovered in a wooded area east of Gold Bar. His right arm surfaced a week later on the banks of the Snohomish River. Canoeists discovered the slain man's head downstream near Marysville. Over the years Snohomish County sheriff's detectives uncovered some intriguing details surrounding Jalamov's life, including his ties to international drug smuggling and possible counterintelligence service on behalf of the U.S. during the early 1980s. They've never tracked down his killer. Jalamov is featured on the six of clubs in the state's first deck of cold-case playing cards. More than 3,000 decks have been handed out to inmates in prisons and jails across the state. Detectives hope the promise of a $1,000 reward will generate new leads in dozens of unsolved homicides and missing persons cases stretching back four decades. For six years detectives didn't know the identity of the man whose remains had been scattered around Snohomish County. Jalamov finally was identified when California officials matched his fingerprints with those of a fugitive sought by Interpol. The Bulgarian was wanted in Germany on drug charges. He was caught trying to ship materials to make methamphetamine overseas. Detectives figured the slaying and Jalamov's presence in Washington likely were tied to drug trafficking. Now-retired detective George Wilkins discovered the name of an Eastern Washington man in an address book seized from Jalamov during his arrest in Germany. The man was convicted in the late 1990s for his part in a meth operation. He allegedly told his ex-girlfriend he'd stabbed and dismembered his roommate in their Bellevue apartment. The victim was said to be a man with a thick accent. Detectives aren't sure whether there is a connection to the dead Bulgarian. Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com. About this series Snohomish County sheriff's detectives created the state's first deck of cold-case playing cards. Each Sunday for a year, The Herald will publish a story about a case featured on one of the cards. Anyone with information about unsolved homicides and missing persons cases is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 800-222-TIPS (8477). Up to $1,000 is offered for tips that lead to an arrest and conviction. Tips also can be called into the sheriff's tip line at 425-388-3845. Callers may remain anonymous, although tips have been shown to be more successful when callers leave their phone numbers and are willing to speak with detectives, police said. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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