The end-of-year blitzes. Over 120 thousand fireworks with a total weight of more than four tons seized in two operations by the Guardia di Finanza between Messina and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. A man resident in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto was arrested red-handed, while two young people were reported.
The warehouse in the farmhouse: over 4 tons of explosives
In the first intervention, the financiers of the Messina Group identified an unauthorized warehouse, located in an old farmhouse recently purchased by a commercial business. Over 4,200 kg of explosive material, including 580 kg of gunpowder, were stored inside, detained without a licence.
The material was seized: despite bearing the “CE” marking, it was kept in an unsuitable structure, with risks to the safety of people and nearby homes.
The kidnapping in Barcelona: “professional” fires and triggers
In a second intervention, the soldiers of the Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto Company seized 152 pyrotechnic devices with a total weight of approximately 150 kg, illegally detained in the basement of a house in the centre.
Among the material, 25 fuses for homemade triggering, 5 control units and 40 electric igniters for remote triggering were also found, as well as homemade firecrackers packaged as candles. In this case the owner was arrested because the material is considered to be a high risk fireworks, intended for people with specialized knowledge, commonly referred to as “professional”.
The marketing of the entire seized quantity would have resulted in an illicit gain estimated at over 200 thousand euros. The two subjects were reported for illegal possession of explosive materials and for failure to request a fire prevention certificate. The complaints must be evaluated by the judicial authority in compliance with the principle of presumption of innocence.