Hungarian police probe suspected gangland killings linked to foreign drug mafias – some victims may never be found

Hungarian authorities are investigating several cases in which murders linked to foreign organised crime groups may have taken place on Hungarian soil, with some victims’ bodies never recovered.

Gábor Hiripi, head of the life protection and target search department at the National Bureau of Investigation (NNI), told Magyar Nemzet in an interview that there are ongoing probes where either the killings occurred in Hungary or the crimes have Hungarian connections.

He warned that violent conflicts tied to international drug trafficking networks have claimed lives across Europe, and these disputes do not stop at national borders.

Serbian–Montenegrin cartel suspected

Investigators believe that a Serbian–Montenegrin drug cartel may have carried out killings in Hungary.

The group is believed to have employed Csaba Dér, a hitman from Vojvodina currently serving a prison sentence for, among other crimes, murdering a Hungarian drug dealer. Authorities say the killing was allegedly ordered by a Montenegrin drug mafia boss.

Murder cases without bodies

In several cases, no remains have been found, yet investigators say the suspicion of murder is well-founded based on available evidence.

Hungarian legal practice has evolved in recent years, allowing courts to establish homicide even without a body, provided there is a closed, logical chain of evidence that excludes any other reasonable explanation.

Previous convictions without recovered remains include high-profile cases such as the “darnózseli butcher” and the disappearance of Fanni Novozánszki.

The enduring mystery of the Radics family

One of the most notorious disappearance cases in Hungary remains the suspected execution of Attila Radics and his family.

Radics, who was linked to underworld figure Tamás Portik, vanished along with his partner and three-year-old daughter from their home in Tárnok in January 2002. Police found large amounts of blood and bullet marks at the scene, strongly suggesting they were killed.

Despite multiple investigative leads, no bodies have ever been recovered.

Hiripi noted that if a rival gang had been responsible, retaliation would have been expected. Instead, the case was followed by what he described as “ice-cold silence”: a lack of response that continues to puzzle investigators.

“All underworld rules were broken”

According to Hiripi, the killing of a child represents a serious breach even within criminal circles, where violence typically follows its own internal logic.

He suggested that the perpetrators may not have originally intended to kill Radics’ partner and child, but that events escalated unexpectedly. The brutality of the crime may help explain the long-standing silence surrounding the case.

New hope in cold cases

Authorities recently renewed focus on the Radics case during a press briefing related to a 1997 bombing, offering a reward of HUF 40 million (EUR 110,000) for information leading to the identification of those responsible.

Hiripi stressed that time can sometimes aid investigations, as shifting loyalties and fading fears may encourage previously silent witnesses to come forward.

The reward, he added, signals that police possess information suggesting there is a realistic chance of progress.

Other high-profile cases still unresolved

Investigators are also continuing to examine other major cases, including the murder of Nikolett Szathmáry, which remains unsolved.

Authorities recently explored whether the suspect in the murder of Tamás Till could be linked to Szathmáry’s killing, given the proximity in time between the crimes, but this theory was ruled out.

Police say they continue to thoroughly investigate every new lead and remain committed to solving these cases.