The Dutch and German investigation teams jointly investigated the illegal fireworks for two years. The reason was decrypted messages containing information about the fireworks. This was transported from countries like Poland, Italy and China via Germany to the Netherlands.
The investigation has led to the arrest of ten suspects in the past few weeks. The main suspects are three Nieuwegein residents, aged 27, 31 and 34. They were arrested on October 17 and are still in custody. The other suspects are suspected to have helped with transportation and storage.
Police point out the danger of illegal fireworks. For example, it is used as a means of violence and to blow up ATMs. “When mass explosive material explodes in a residential area, the consequences are incalculable,” Nieuws Erik Kooijker of the National Unity told RTL. “Even a relatively small amount can cause fatalities and serious harm.”
With this capture, the amount of illegal fireworks found by police has already doubled since last year. Then the police seized a total of over 205,000 kilos. The counter is currently 406,500 kilos.
