Berlin – The second Corona New Year’s Eve is coming up and that means: The sale of fireworks is again prohibited. At least in Germany. But less than a two-hour drive east, there are plenty of bangers and rockets to buy for free. For years now, many Berliners have been going to Poland to import highly dangerous explosive mixtures, some of which they are never allowed to buy in Germany. This year there will be significantly more illegal imports than last year. At least that’s what the customs authorities assume. Astrid Pinz from the main customs office in Frankfurt (Oder) explains what injuries some explosive devices permitted in the neighboring country can cause.
Ms. Pinz, no New Year’s Eve fireworks may be sold to the population in Germany this year either. What about the neighbors in Poland?
Our experience shows that fireworks are sold there all year round, because our controls also find fireworks throughout the year.
Are the security authorities now observing increased “travel” to Poland in December from people who buy fireworks there?
The closer the New Year approaches, the more fireworks we find. During our controls, we always check whether people are introducing too many cigarettes or narcotics – and we always keep an eye on fireworks. And we will be particularly attentive to this over the next few days. At the end of the year, tourist traffic always rises. Many Poles who work in Germany or Great Britain go home over the holidays, many freight forwarders also take a break and long queues form on the return journey. Much more Germans than usual go shopping in Poland before the turn of the year. Some also buy fireworks. In any case, we see more fireworks than in the rest of the year.
customs Service
Astrid Pinz is spokeswoman for the main customs office in Frankfurt (Oder). The 51-year-old has been with Zoll since 1993 and is now a customs officer.
Do you have a succinct example from this month that suggests that shopping is not just for personal consumption?
We had a case where we assume that the amount was not intended for personal use. That would be alien to life. 860 kilograms were found in a van. Of these, 215 kilos were fireworks that were not permitted in Germany and should not have been introduced. This amount was either intended for friends and acquaintances or for sale.
Are there any numbers about the amounts this year?
We won’t take stock until next year. But this year it will be significantly more than last year.
Why?
image / Jochen Thank you
Many fans of pyrotechnics like to stock up in Poland because there are fireworks there all year round and because it’s cheaper too.
In the previous year there were completely different rules due to Corona. The small border traffic was stopped, whoever traveled across the border first had to be in quarantine for ten days. This year, small border traffic is possible: those who have recovered and who have been vaccinated can travel to the neighboring country for 24 hours – without quarantine.
What were the numbers like in the past few years?
It always depends on whether there are one or more large finds. In 2017, a total of 18.8 tons of illegally imported fireworks were seized. There were individual finds of three tons. In addition, at that time there was a harmonization of the provisions of the EU. From now on, dealers from Germany were also allowed to buy fireworks in Poland. However, not all have yet complied with the regulations and transported the dangerous goods correctly. Often there was still a lack of specialist knowledge. Our controls have helped: in 2018, the rules were much better adhered to and only 6.4 tonnes were confiscated. In the pre-Corona year 2019 it was 5.6 tons. In the Corona year 2020 only one ton.
This year it will be significantly more. Certainly some of them will have already stocked up in the course of the year because they expected a sales ban in Germany again. Do you have any serious finds?
Not a month goes by in which we cannot find anything. There was a find in October. The driver, a Dutchman, was asked whether he had weapons or pyrotechnics with him. He said no. Then there was a large wooden box in his car weighing 50 kilos, including ten fireworks batteries that he should not have brought in.
Main customs office Frankfurt (Oder)
Seized in October: A box with 50 kilos of fireworks.
What can be legally imported from Poland?
Overall there are categories F1 to F4. Whereby F1 means: table fireworks, sparklers, snap peas, which can also be bought in Germany all year round. F2 is the fireworks display that we are normally only allowed to sell on the three days before New Year’s Eve. This may also be introduced now if the buyer is 18 years old and the fireworks are properly labeled and if the rocket does not have more than 20 grams of net explosive mass.
But many want the F3 and F4 fireworks, which are forbidden for laypeople. What is that?
From category F3, buyers must show a special official permit. In the case of F4, a special certificate of expertise and specialist knowledge is required, the so-called pyrotechnician’s certificate. That means: this is only for professional fireworkers. Otherwise it will be confiscated.
How dangerous are the fireworks?
Such fireworks are not only louder, but also have increased explosive power, the force of the explosion is much more massive. Laypeople are completely overwhelmed with the effort. Really serious accidents can happen, including life-threatening ones.
Do you have an example of explosive power?
We once had a demonstration by a professional pyrotechnician. He showed how F3 fireworks affect a pig’s paw: it was torn to pieces after the detonation, the bones broken, the pig skin, which is much thicker than human skin, was torn away. Even laypeople knew that if these fireworks had exploded in a human hand, fingers or the entire hand would have been torn off.
Main customs office Frankfurt (Oder)
Highly dangerous: a pig’s paw torn to pieces by a fireworks.
How many shots did the largest rocket battery your people have confiscated so far?
The biggest finding was a 96 kg battery. It was so big that we don’t even know how many shots it had. It didn’t fit in a car anymore, but was found in a van. It was the size of a euro pallet and several men had to touch it to lift it.
How do people smuggle their illegal goods into Germany?
Smuggling is usually not the right term. Most of them don’t hide the fireworks at all, at best they slide them under the driver’s seat, but most of the time it’s open in the car. Others take rockets with them in their rucksacks on the train they take from Frankfurt (Oder) to Berlin. In extreme cases, this could also be dangerous for others.
What was the most reckless find you’ve had in years?
A pickup truck full of fireworks, a total of 1.2 tons. The driver neither had permission, nor was the vehicle a dangerous goods transporter or at least marked as such a transport. The man was also a heavy smoker who smoked with all the fireworks in the car.
What happens to the seized fireworks?
The public prosecutor’s office decides that. In the vast majority of cases, it is destroyed by specialist companies.
The interview was conducted by Jens Blankennagel.
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