Romanian Gangster Used Jungle Cats and Bears to Intimidate His Rivals and We Assume it Worked

European mob bosses have always been known for their creative ways of dealing with their enemies, but we don't hear those stories so much these days. One Romanian gangster reportedly went old school, utilizing a personal zoo of lions and bears to intimidate—or worse—his victims and rivals.

In 2009, Ion Balint—also known as Nutzu the Pawnbroker—was sentenced to 13 years in prison for human trafficking, pimping and violence. However, he was released after just one year behind bars. Last week he was arrested again, on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, blackmail and illegally possessing a weapon. Police accuse Balint and his brother Vasile of controlling much of the underworld’s criminal activity in the city of Bucharest. As part of the raid on Balint’s compound, Romanian authorities stepped in and sedated four lions and two bears on the property and placed them in a local zoo.

Balint seems to relish in his bloodthirsty image, refusing to answer if he had ever fed someone to the lions. It's important to note the word "allegedly" to everything here since his neighbors are coming to his defense. According to them, Balint isn’t the ruthless criminal as which he’s being portrayed, just a good neighbor and animal lover. It's also important to note that they are the neighbors of a terrifying gangster who owns lions who might be inclined to stay on his good side, as well.

Balint has apparently kept the animals illegally for more than ten years, and thus could face up to a year in prison. You know, in case the human trafficking and attempted murder weren’t enough to keep him inside.