Loose leaf tobacco was the real culprit of the latest seizures up from 4.5 tonnes to 26 tonnes last year, the paper said.

It’s apparent that many black market sellers consider the risk worth the reward given that profits reaped over the course of one night can often exceed HUF 6 mln.

Since Hungary initiated a state monopoly on retail tobacco sales in July of 2013, black market activity has increased dramatically with much of the goods arriving to Hungary from Ukraine.