250 tonnes of illegal fireworks seized

Hamburg customs officials said on Friday they had discovered 16 containers containing 250 tonnes of illegal and dangerous fireworks from China.
Officers believe that their €330,000 price tag would have multiplied into several million euros on the black market.
Rocket construction kits and large fireworks were found in 13 containers at the Hamburg port, and 3 other containers in Magdeburg. Customs officials believe the containers – addressed to two firms in Luxemburg – were shipped from China between September and December 2008.
Officials said the explosives were likely being temporarily stored in Germany, and could have posed a serious danger. If ignited, their powerful explosive force would be similar to a 2000 accident when several tonnes of fireworks destroyed an entire city district and killed 20 in the Netherlands community of Enschede.
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