Illegal fireworks, seizures of thousands of kilos throughout Italy

In Vicenza, as part of a control carried out to combat 'the illicit possession and sale of fireworks and the marketing of potentially dangerous Christmas products', 900 kilos of pyrotechnic material was seized 'stored in conditions of serious risk, as well as over 40,000 festive articles that were found to be non-compliant as they were marketed in violation of the provisions of the Consumer Code and the relevant European regulations'.

A small arsenal of fireworks

A 'small arsenal of highly dangerous fireworks' was discovered in Benevento. All the products were seized by the military of the Provincial Command of the Benevento Guardia di Finanza. In particular, as part of the info-investigative activity, the soldiers of the Mobile Section of the Economic-Financial Police Nucleus, 'found more than 3,500 illegally detained articles inside a garage belonging to a private home'.

In Cosenza 1 tonne of fireworks

One of the most voluminous seizures is the one made by the military of the Cosenza yellow flames who prevented the marketing of a ton of fireworks, 140 thousand pieces, because they were not legal. The quantity of goods was found in two warehouses on the ground floor of a building inhabited by families.

Two tons in Naples

In the Neapolitan capital, the heaviest seizure took place, with 2.5 tonnes of products for about 300,000 pyrotechnic devices. In the course of the operation (7 people were reported for various reasons) and in the subsequent searches, '61 homemade explosive devices were seized, lacking any conforming labelling, replicating the well-known "COBRA 11", for a weight of about 3 kilos of pyrotechnic material, carefully concealed among the undergrowth of a courtyard in the possession of a young man'. "The same devices," the financiers said in a note, "were found to be 'deadly' and capable of causing very serious damage to people, buildings and housing structures in the event of an explosion. In addition, among the hundreds of pieces, there were also "onions, sticks, and Neapolitan batteries, which also had a 'deadly' explosive charge".

The forces in the field

Launching an alarm on illegal fireworks that turn from fireworks into real LEDs, improvised devices that can kill, were the Carabinieri of Naples, who, together with the bomb squad, also took stock of the seizures made in the run-up to New Year's Eve. Also in the field were the police, who, like every year, launched their awareness campaign to ensure that New Year's Eve fireworks are used in a 'responsible and conscious manner'. Suggestions include buying only from authorised dealers and CE marking.