site.btaNational and International Winners of Bulgarian Anti-Drug Awards Announced in Blagoevgrad

National and International Winners of Bulgarian Anti-Drug Awards Announced in Blagoevgrad
National and International Winners of Bulgarian Anti-Drug Awards Announced in Blagoevgrad
A snapshot from the award ceremony, Blagoevgrad, Southwestern Bulgaria, November 27, 2025 (BTA Photo/Krasimir Nikolov)

For another year, the Blagoevgrad Municipal Drug Council presented awards and international honours to magistrates and police officers from across Bulgaria on Thursday, during its contest dedicated to the Italian magistrate Giovanni Falcone.

The grand national award in the Magistrates category was presented to Stara Zagora Regional District Prosecutor Tanya Dimitrova for her active work on crimes related to the illegal production, acquisition, and possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and pyrotechnic devices. Over the years, she has filed more than 30 indictments in these cases, resulting in multiple convictions, the organizers noted during the award ceremony. They added that Dimitrova also serves as a prosecutor handling crimes against minors. During the ceremony, it was highlighted that she demonstrated professional conduct in investigations related to inhumane treatment of the elderly in unlicensed nursing homes in the southeastern village of Yagoda. Dimitrova was nominated for the award by the Ministry of Justice.

The grand international award for Magistrates went to Filippo Spiezia, an Italian magistrate with over 30 years of experience, including 11 years at Eurojust.  

In the Police category, the top international award was given to the National Police of Spain for numerous operations preventing drug distribution and trafficking.

The Blagoevgrad Municipal Drug Council also presented six national grand awards to Bulgarian police officers.

The Giovanni Falcone Awards recognize Bulgarian and foreign magistrates and police officers with remarkable contribution to the fight against illicit drug production and trafficking and organized crime. The accolades are named after the famous Italian anti-mafia judge and supported by the Giovanni and Francesca Falcone Foundation and the Italian Embassy in Bulgaria. The Awards were established in 2009, and their motto is a well-known quote from Giovanni Falcone: "If you are scared, you die every day. If you are not scared, you die only once."

/DS/

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By 07:27 on 29.11.2025 Today`s news

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