Truckload of illegal fireworks seized before entering Shanghai
The fact that the Chinese New Year is fast approaching was vividly portrayed by 325 boxes of illegal fireworks which were discovered being smuggled into Shanghai on December 8.
Police in suburban Jinshan District said they got a tip at the beginning of this month that a man had been purchasing fireworks and firecrackers from out of town to sell in Shanghai without the proper qualifications.
The suspect, surnamed Li, was found to be transporting the objects with a truck.
Having found out the man's license plate number, police managed to stop the truck at about 11pm on December 8 near the Xinzhuan Highway toll gate of G15 Expressway in Songjiang District.
The 325 boxes were reloaded into five smaller trucks by the police the next day, who said they will be kept in a safe place by the fire service until they can be safely destroyed some time later.
Police unload some of the 325 boxes of illegal fireworks and firecrackers they found in a truck on its way into Shanghai on December 9.
The 325 boxes are reloaded into five smaller trucks and transported away for safe storage.
Li confessed that he purchased the fireworks and firecrackers in Pingxiang, Jiangxi Province, to sell in Shanghai without a permit, police said.
He faces the criminal charge of running an illegal business.
In Jiading District, police discovered 30 boxes of illegal fireworks and firecrackers in a grocery store in Anting Town on Monday morning, which were also seized.
The store owner will be detained for 15 days for the offense, police said.
Police remind residents that Shanghai bans fireworks and firecrackers within the Outer Ring Road and encourages residents to report the illegal production, selling, storage, transportation and use to the police by calling 12345, 96119 or 110.
