Over the past year, the initiative has led to more than 11,000 criminal proceedings, the seizure of 3 tonnes of drugs, and the confiscation of assets worth over 2.2 billion forints, he said.

Including pre-programme investigations, authorities have removed over 50 tonnes of drugs valued at more than 700 billion forints from the black market, preventing tens of millions of doses from reaching users, the commissioner added.

Horvath emphasised that the Delta programme's goal is to drastically reduce drug availability and dismantle organised trafficking networks, which are linked to global production, distribution, and online operations, as well as to prostitution, human trafficking, and arms dealing.

He thanked participants for their efforts and noted the growing social solidarity essential for strengthening community resistance to drugs. He warned that the programme's future depended on the national government retaining power, accusing the opposition Tisza Party of promoting drug liberalisation to secure votes, citing "failed" harm-reduction policies in Budapest's 8th district as evidence of their approach's flaws.

Sandor Toreki, deputy national police chief, said that police targeted dealers, not users, with 1,669 proceedings launched against dealers in the past year alone. The youngest dealer was 14, the oldest 78, and the largest single seizure was 321kg of crystal meth. Fully 97 percent of those involved were Hungarian citizens, with 930 arrested for drug dealing.

Police also shut down 30 businesses, including shops, nightclubs, and restaurants, for drug-related offences, applying closures selectively rather than indiscriminately, he added.

Toreki highlighted a shift in drug trends, with crystal meth seizures surpassing cannabis for the first time, followed by amphetamine derivatives and cocaine. Drugs increasingly enter Hungary via the darknet and direct orders from Asia, alongside traditional routes from Italy, Spain, and Slovenia, he said.

Last year, police conducted nearly 8,000 checks in public spaces and reached 900,000 people through prevention programmes, including 6,200 school initiatives supported by 816 school officers, he noted.

This year, authorities will focus on darknet investigations, disrupting supply chains, and local crime prevention, with an emphasis on engaging young people online, the police official said.

The National Centre for Expertise and Research has invested 1.2 billion forints in new equipment, enhancing its drug analysis capabilities to European standards.

Tamas Csesztregi, head of the Drug Analysis Expert Institute, reported over 100,000 chemical analyses conducted in the past year, including tests on blood, urine, and seized substances.
 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com
 

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