Ukrainian cigarette smuggler’s car catches fire on the road in Hungary

The smuggled cigarettes hidden in the engine compartment of a Ukrainian man’s car on Highway 4 could have caused the fire, the head of the National Tax and Customs Administration’s (NAV) emergency directorate told the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) on Wednesday.

In a statement, Zoltán Dávid said that the excise officers noticed a car on fire on the side of the road during a roadside check. They helped the driver and then called the fire brigade, police and ambulance. After the search, almost six hundred packs of untaxed Ukrainian cigarettes worth HUF 1 million 300 thousand (EUR 3,385) were found around the car, in its chassis and engine compartment.

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It is suspected that the Ukrainian man was afraid of the check. Thus, he tried to throw the cigarettes out on the side of the road, but they may have been ignited by the heat in the engine compartment, Index writes.

“After hospital treatment, the driver was questioned and a criminal case was opened against him. The exact cause of the fire is still being investigated by experts,” Zoltán Dávid added.

The featured photo is an illustration.