Federal police confiscate illegal firecrackers
More than a month before New Year's Eve, the Federal Police at the border with the Czech Republic apprehended numerous travelers with illegal fireworks. During a border check in Waldsassen in the Upper Palatinate (district of Tirschenreuth), officers confiscated 500 firecrackers and two brass knuckles from a 13-year-old boy, as the Waidhaus Federal Police announced on Monday. According to the information, the boy had bought the illegal items at an Asian market near the border in the Czech Republic. His parents, with whom he was traveling, did not know anything about it, according to their own statements.
A short time later, according to the federal police, investigators stopped a young Dutchman on the Autobahn 6 near Waidhaus (district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab). He had loaded his entire trunk with New Year's Eve firecrackers, fireworks and rockets. The 19-year-old stated that he had also bought the fireworks on an Asian market in the Czech Republic.
As the federal police in Selb, Upper Franconia, announced on Monday, police officers stopped three cars with illegal fireworks within 30 minutes at the Schirnding border crossing (Wunsiedel district) on Saturday. The occupants, aged between 13 and 26, had bought a total of around 20 kilograms of fireworks, which are banned in Germany, at a Czech market.
According to the federal police, they seized the fireworks in all cases and initiated preliminary proceedings for violation of the Explosives Act. In such cases, those responsible face up to three years in prison or a fine. They would also have to bear the costs of destroying the illegal explosives. Officials warn that fireworks often burn in an uncontrolled manner and are therefore extremely dangerous.
The seizure of illegal fireworks by federal police is not limited to Germany's borders; in Upper France, three cars were stopped at a border crossing, and the occupants, aged between 13 and 26, had purchased banned fireworks in the Czech Republic. On New Year's Eve, the misuse of such fireworks can lead to serious crimes, such as accidents or injuries.
Source: www.dpa.com
