KL cops destroy fireworks worth over RM4mil

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have destroyed over RM4.17mil worth of fireworks and firecrackers here.

Sentul OCPD Asst Comm Beh Eng Lai said the fireworks were seized when police raided two premises in Kepong on March 24.

"We arrested five suspects during the raids and seized 1,059 boxes and 35 sacks of fireworks and firecrackers.

"One of the suspects, a 51-year-old man was charged at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court on March 29," he said when met at the Sentul evidence storage facility here on Tuesday (April 26).

He said police received a court order to destroy all the fireworks after the main suspect was charged under Section 8 of the Explosives Act.

"We have representatives from the Fire and Rescue Department on standby here.

"They will douse the fireworks with water before it is crushed by a backhoe," he said.

ACP Beh said police operations to monitor the sale and distribution of illegal fireworks and firecrackers are ongoing.

"These operations are especially important during the festive season to curb the sale of illicit items," he said.

It was reported that police seized over RM4.17mil worth of fireworks after two raids in Kepong here on March 23.

Police from the Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department special investigations and intelligence division and Sentul police raided a warehouse at MWE Commercial Park as well as a house at Taman Kepong and arrested five men.

The fireworks were believed to have been smuggled in from China.

The group had been actively distributing fireworks within the Klang Valley area for two years.

Those with information on such activities are urged to contact the police hotline at 03-2115 9999.