Andrei Ionuț
Andrei Ionuț | |
|---|---|
 Andrei in 2025 | |
| Born | Andrei Ionuț 3 September 1992 |
| Died | 8 July 2026 (aged 33) |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Other names | Oskar |
| Occupation | Crime boss |
| Years active | 2009–2025 |
| Era | Vriend Era |
| Organization | Bucharest Butchers |
| Title | Leader of the Bucharest Butchers |
| Term | 18 June 2012 – May 2025 |
| Predecessor | Oskar Dirlewanger |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Convictions |
|
| Criminal charge | Crimes against humanity |
| Penalty | Death |
Andrei Ionuț (3 September 1992 – 8 July 2026) was a Romanian crime boss who led the Bucharest Butchers from 18 June 2012 until the organization's collapse in May 2025. He succeeded Oskar Dirlewanger and kept the organization under centralized leadership. In 2013, he brought its California branch under direct control from Bucharest. During the rest of his leadership, Ionuț accepted increasing support from the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen but opposed placing the Bucharest Butchers fully under Tanoan authority.
Ionuț attempted to flee Romania on 1 May 2025 as the organization was collapsing and was arrested after a vehicle chase.[1] He was initially sentenced to life imprisonment. Further files concerning his leadership were later added to the case record. After 433 days in custody, he was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad in Bucharest on 8 July 2026.[1]
Early life and criminal activity
Ionuț was born in Bucharest on 3 September 1992 into a family already involved in the Bucharest Butchers. He grew up inside the organization and became familiar with its hierarchy from an early age.
In 2009, security cameras recorded Ionuț stabbing a person in a Bucharest alley during a failed illicit transaction. The footage circulated among law-enforcement authorities, but he was not convicted for the attack at the time. By the end of the decade, he was coordinating enforcement units. Recruitment also came under his supervision, and he handled logistics for those operations.
Leadership of the Bucharest Butchers
Dirlewanger retired on 18 June 2012 and transferred leadership of the Bucharest Butchers to Ionuț. He remained an adviser after the transfer and retained control of older financial reserves and Glöbberian contacts.[2]
Ionuț kept the centralized hierarchy created under Dirlewanger. Enforcement crews answered to him and carried out armed attacks ordered by the leadership. Florin Ionuț handled financial and political protection, using contacts inside Romanian institutions to interfere with investigations. Marku Ionuț controlled Porno Bucharest, which produced and distributed illegal pornography. Drug trafficking and extortion remained regular sources of income. The organization also continued human trafficking.
In 2013, Ionuț ordered the consolidation of the organization's overseas operations. He sent Petru Ionuț and Iakob Ionuț to Hollywood, Los Angeles, to take control of the branch established by Emil Mătăsăreanu. Petru was placed in command of the branch, while Iakob served as an enforcer. Before they left Romania, Ionuț ordered Iakob to kill Larry Phillips Jr. because Phillips had worked with the California organization without being admitted as a Bucharest Butchers member. Iakob carried out the killing after reaching California and was later promoted to second-in-command, while Petru retained final control of the branch.[3]
During the 2010s, Ionuț used the username Aktion680 for an online recruitment program. He contacted young people through encrypted platforms and darknet forums, then used ideological material to build loyalty before assigning recruits peripheral roles. Investigators later recovered evidence of the program at his residence.
Ionuț participated in a bank robbery in Brașov in 2015. Substantial evidence connected him to the robbery, but no charges were brought against him at the time.
Relations with the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen
The Bucharest Butchers became increasingly dependent on the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen during the 2010s for resources and political protection. Ionuț accepted this support but opposed complete subordination to the Tanoan organization.[1]
By 2024, Marku Ionuț had developed a plan to take control of the Bucharest Butchers with Florin Ionuț. Stefan Shrankenhaus later joined the plan. They intended to remove Ionuț's independent leadership and place the Bucharest Butchers under Tanoan authority. A merger with the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen was to follow.[1]
Petru Ionuț withdrew from the central leadership during the same period and refused to surrender control of the California branch. After Petru returned to Romania in March 2024 and rejected demands for his authority and assets, Marku pressured Iakob to kill him. Iakob killed Petru on 21 August 2024.
The Tanoa Einsatzgruppen ceased to exist on 30 November 2024, removing the protection and resources on which the Bucharest Butchers had come to rely. The Fish Collective attacked Bucharest Butchers infrastructure during 2024 and early 2025. Senior figures were killed during the campaign, while others attempted to flee. The organization collapsed during May 2025.[1]
Arrest and execution
On 1 May 2025, Ionuț attempted to flee Romania as the Bucharest Butchers' central command was collapsing. A vehicle pursued him and caught him after a chase. He was taken into custody without reported resistance.[1]
Ionuț was convicted of multiple counts of aggravated murder and of leading an organized criminal group. Human trafficking was also among his convictions. He initially received a sentence of life imprisonment.
During the proceedings, Ionuț stated that he had no regrets and would repeat his actions if given the opportunity. Statements made after his arrest continued to express loyalty to the Bucharest Butchers. He rejected legal and moral judgments imposed by authorities outside the organization.
Further files concerning Ionuț's leadership entered the case record after his imprisonment, and he was questioned again before the final tribunal decision.[1] After 433 days in custody, he was sentenced to death. His convictions were read aloud before the execution. His only recorded response was, "Amazing." Ionuț was executed by firing squad in Bucharest on 8 July 2026.[1]
See also
- Bucharest Butchers
- Oskar Dirlewanger
- Ionuț family
- Tanoa Einsatzgruppen
- Fish Collective
- Bucharest Tribunal
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Bucharest operations". Fish Collective. Vrienden Universe Wiki.
- ↑ "Retirement". Oskar Dirlewanger. Vrienden Universe Wiki.
- ↑ "Leadership under Andrei Ionuț". Bucharest Butchers. Vrienden Universe Wiki.