EUR 5Mn EU Grant to Combat Cross-Border Drug Trafficking

The National Investigation Office of Hungary's Standby Police (KR NNI), along with its consortium partners, has secured EUR 5 million in EU funding until July 2029 to enhance the detection and prevention of cross-border drug trafficking and related crimes, the KR NNI director announced at the program's launch in Budapest on Thursday.

The DELTA program, co-financed by the Hungarian state, is the KR NNI's most complex project to date. It includes the development of tools and software, as well as the establishment of international investigative teams. The initiative builds on a previous project focused on combatting human trafficking, arms smuggling, and illegal migration.

The program's primary goals are to strengthen operational, investigative and evidence-gathering capabilities. This includes procuring special vehicles and equipment, developing international cooperation mechanisms, and enhancing laboratory and expert support. These improvements will enable faster information flow and more advanced international and operational coordination, particularly through AI-based analytical and decision-support systems.

A key element of the program is the creation of eight international investigative teams. Since Hungary's EU accession in 2004, only two such teams have been formed with Hungarian participation to target international drug trafficking. The program expects to seize assets worth EUR 1.5 million, along with 250 kg of cannabis, 5 kg of opioids, 15 kg of cocaine, 100 kg of synthetic drugs, 20 kg of psychoactive substances and firearms.

Additionally, the KR NNI plans to establish a national EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats) office to combat the most serious forms of international organized crime.