The action was part of the Exploweek in which several law enforcement agencies participated from October 13 to 19. The Post Intervention Team and ILT focused their action on intercepting fireworks sent by mail. Sending fireworks by mail is prohibited in the Netherlands.
Focus on Eastern Bloc Countries
During the control, the focus was primarily on packages originating from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. These countries are known as major source countries for heavy, illegal fireworks. Nearly 200 kilos of illegal fireworks were ultimately found in nineteen packages. These mostly include decorative and bang fireworks in the F3 and F4 categories. Until the general consumer fireworks ban takes effect, only fireworks from the F1 and F2 categories are allowed in the Netherlands. All found packages have been seized and will be safely destroyed.
Additionally, 4 packages of illegal fireworks destined for Portugal and 1 package for Belgium were seized. Although the products may comply with the legislation of the receiving country, Dutch law enforcement agencies are obliged to enforce national legislation.
Cooperation from Postal Companies
The police and ILT are investigating the senders and recipients of the packages. Relevant information about the recipients is shared with the fireworks coordinators of the units, after which a home visit may follow.
The postal companies where the controls took place fully cooperated to prevent dangerous situations for their employees.
