The law of supply and demand. When it comes to making money, offenders know how to adapt to the market. With the more and more recurrent use of fireworks mortars as projectiles against the police, these pyrotechnic rockets have become the object of real trafficking. In Amiens, in the Somme, the police arrested two men suspected of selling different models of mortars on social networks.
As the Amiens prosecutor’s office underlines, attacks against the police using fireworks mortars have become widespread throughout the national territory. Last September, in several districts of the Picardy capital, the police were targeted by dozens of these rockets during a night of urban violence. In the process, a preliminary investigation was opened to try to trace the chain through which the delinquents supplied themselves with mortars since the sale of these objects is highly regulated.
Mortars, narcotics, weapons and contraband
It was ultimately the cyber police who managed to determine that the illicit trade in these mortars was carried out on social networks. “Two individuals offered mortars for sale in the usual way on Snapchat,” explains the Amiens prosecutor’s office. These two men were kept under close surveillance until December 3, when the police arrested one of them, aged 29, while he was driving for make a delivery.
On board his vehicle, the officials discovered a veritable arsenal: 100 8-shot fireworks, 10 tear gas, 4 telescopic batons and 3 brass knuckles. But the search of his home in Longueau revealed many other surprises: 36 mortars, 18 Roman candles, 2 kg of cannabis, 37 g of cocaine, contraband tobacco and alcohol, 22 caliber weapons. , police armbands and finally nearly 4,000 euros in cash.
A storage box located in Amiens
The second suspect was arrested two days later at his home in Amiens. And again, the investigators made some great discoveries during the search: tear gas canisters, smoke bombs, 300 g of cannabis, ecstasy and around 1,000 euros in cash.
During the custody of the two suspects, the police received information which enabled them to discover a storage box, located in Amiens, in which 330 other fireworks mortars were stored. However, the prosecution specifies that this discovery is the subject of a new investigation.
At the end of his police custody, the first suspect was remanded in custody pending trial for immediate appearance on Wednesday afternoon. The other man has been placed under judicial supervision and will be tried later.