BUDAPEST, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The largest illegal cigarette manufacturing network ever uncovered in Hungary has been dismantled by the country's National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV).
Coordinated raids at 41 locations in May led to the seizure of over 24 billion forints' (67 million U.S. dollars) worth of contraband tobacco products and equipment, NAV said in a statement Tuesday.
Authorities confiscated 156 tons of tobacco, enough to produce 13 million packs of cigarettes, valued at 21.8 billion forints, over 1 million packs of counterfeit cigarettes worth 2.5 billion forints, 48.5 million empty cigarette boxes, three full cigarette production lines, processing machinery, forklifts, packaging equipment, and radio-jamming devices.
The estimated budget loss in excise and VAT would have reached 81 billion forints had the goods entered the market.
Six suspects, one Hungarian and five dual Moldovan-Romanian citizens, have been detained and formally charged with organized tax fraud. One additional suspect is still at large and the subject of an arrest warrant. (1 Hungarian forint = 0.0028 U.S. dollar) ■
