Illegal Cigarette Factory Raided in Hungary, Nine Bulgarians Detained

Nine Bulgarian citizens were detained for their alleged participation in a criminal group running a massive illegal cigarette factory in Hungary.

During the operation, which took place near Budapest on February 2, authorities seized cigarette manufacturing machinery, 22 tonnes of tobacco and 2.3 million cigarettes.

According to authorities, the seized amount of tobacco was enough to produce 1.5 million packets of cigarettes, Europol's press service reports.

The operation was the joint effort of Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security (DANS), the Hungarian National Tax and Customs Administration and Europol.

It was estimated that the revenue lost by EU governments in 2013 due to counterfeit and contraband cigarettes was EUR 10.9 B.

The revenue lost from excise duties affects all layers of society, as it could have been spent on public services such as schools, hospitals and law enforcement.