Tax authority buys drone to fight tobacco smugglers

Budapest, February 8 (MTI) – The national tax authority (NAV) has purchased a drone to detect and monitor routes of cigarette smuggling, daily Magyar Idők reported on Monday, citing a NAV spokesperson.

The aircraft, bought at a cost of 20 million forints (EUR 65,000) in European Union funding, completes a range of special equipment such as night vision devices, thermal cameras as well as a a hovercraft to control riverways.

Last year, the tax authority seized 43 million illegally distributed cigarettes and 70 tonnes of tobacco leaves, the paper said.