Drones to hunt cigarette smugglers

Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Authority (NAV) has acquired drones to crack down on cigarette smugglers, reports Magyar Idők.

The equipment was purchased with huf20 million ($72,347) in European Union funding.

NAV spokesperson Alexandra Sárközi said NAV needs to keep up with technological developments, adding that the drones enable the office to track smuggling without alerting the perpetrators.

Sárközi noted that NAV seized more than 43 million contraband cigarettes with a market value of about huf1.7 billion last year, along with almost 70 tons of loose leaf tobacco.

NAV also plans to deploy heat cameras, night goggles, recording devices and hovercrafts to detect smuggling activities, according to the daily.