Investigation services have seized 671 tons of fireworks this year, it appears on Tuesday the fireworks barometer of the Public Prosecution Service. A record amount, and more than three times as much as last year. The OM speaks of a growing problem: “This type of fireworks is mass explosive and life-threatening.”
Two finds in Germany accounted for the majority of the fireworks seized. In November, the German police found 350 tons of heavy fireworks across the border near Enschede, last week another 250 tons were added. The Public Prosecution Service also counts those foreign finds because they were intended for the Dutch market. “We see this, among other things, in the Dutch who cross the border to get the fireworks there.”
Since 2020, more consumer fireworks, such as firecrackers and loose flares, have been illegal, but according to the Public Prosecution Service, that does not explain why so many illegal fireworks are being intercepted. “We see that people have turned more to the illegal market during the corona years, and may now continue to buy there. So the illegal market has grown.”
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