Editing Petru Ionuț (section)

== California operations ==
In 2013, [[Andrei Ionuț]] ordered the transfer of the [[Bucharest Butchers]] operations in California from [[Emil Mătăsăreanu]] to Petru Ionuț. Petru and [[Iakob Ionuț]] travelled to [[Hollywood]], [[Los Angeles]], to assume command of the structure Mătăsăreanu had established in 1999. The California state government and the governor's office had been informed of the transfer before their arrival. Petru nevertheless met the officials and intermediaries who had dealt with Mătăsăreanu, introduced himself as the new authority and explained how payments and protection would operate under his command. After the brothers arrived in Hollywood, Iakob entered the residence of [[Larry Phillips Jr.]] and strangled him with a wire. Phillips had cooperated with Mătăsăreanu but had never been admitted as a formal member of the Bucharest Butchers. His killing removed a possible challenge to the transfer and secured Iakob's position as Petru's second-in-command.

Petru first consolidated control over Hollywood and then extended his authority across Los Angeles. He required existing members and business operators to report their earnings through accounts controlled by him. Political payments and territorial changes also required his approval. Iakob enforced these decisions and removed people who resisted the transfer. During 2014, Petru personally established the terms under which officials and regulatory intermediaries would protect his properties. By the end of the year, he had replaced Mătăsăreanu as the principal Bucharest Butchers authority in Los Angeles.

In 2015, Petru and Iakob established a regular supply arrangement with gun dealer [[Soufian Schwein]]. Petru used income from gambling to finance expansion outside Los Angeles. Local controllers were placed under his authority in additional parts of California and were required to transfer part of their earnings to him. Petru allowed them to manage daily activity, but retained final authority over territorial disputes and major acts of enforcement. His refusal to permit independent local commands gradually brought the organization's operations in different counties under a single structure.

Petru opened his largest casino complex on elevated ground outside Hollywood in 2019. The building contained public gaming floors, restricted high-stakes rooms and offices used to administer his California operations. Secured service corridors connected these areas to a parking structure and an underground garage. Several private penthouses occupied the upper levels. Petru lived in the largest penthouse on the highest level, which he also used for private gambling sessions and meetings. By 2020, the casino had become his headquarters in the United States, and major financial, political and enforcement decisions across his California network required his approval.

Petru was especially associated with a rigged roulette game that he called ''Romanian Roulette''. A concealed mechanism allowed the house dealer to force the ball onto the number 8 after Petru gave a visual signal. His repeated use of the game led to the nickname ''King of Roulette''. By late 2023, Petru exercised final authority over Bucharest Butchers operations in every county of California through local controllers, protected businesses and political intermediaries. His casino generated approximately $800,000 per month, and he continued to inspect its gaming floors, counting rooms and vehicle entrances without notice. His main subordinates included Iakob as second-in-command and [[Ruben Istrate]] as a lieutenant. [[Matteo Bazzani]] worked as a close associate, while Schwein remained Petru's principal external weapons supplier. In late 2023, Petru purchased a second residence in [[Morrison]], [[Tennessee]], without informing the central leadership of the Bucharest Butchers.