Swoop on manufacturers designed to combat “illicit activities”
As the country focused last week on politicians touring the country trying to drum up votes, PSP were intent on inspecting ‘economic operators’ who create materials used in the manufacture of explosives – the objective being to ‘prevent associated illicit activities’.
Between last Monday and Friday 14 tons of ‘precursors’ (chemical substances) for explosive products were seized, and 25 infraction notices issued.
Releasing a statement today, to mark European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism, the PSP said that as part of operation ‘Explosives Precursors’ 179 inspections were carried out on economic operators who make them, and on professional users.
A PSP source told Lusa that precursor products are substances that can be used in the illicit manufacture of explosives. They can equally be used lawfully, for example in agriculture, as fertilizers and herbicides.
As for the 25 administrative offense notices issued, nine were for irregular storage, eight for lack of records and/ or irregular records of transactions and acquisitions/ manufacturing carried out and three for non-compliance with technical standards defined for carrying out the activity.
Three administrative offense notices were also issued for making explosive precursors available to private individuals.
In the operation, 11 tons (10,875kg) of potassium nitrate and three tons (2,950kg) of potassium permanganate were seized for storing more nitrates than allowed and for not having the respective licence issued by the PSP.
The operation took place “within the scope of the PSP’s exclusive and specific powers to licence, control and inspect the manufacture, storage, sale, use and transportation of weapons, ammunition, explosive products, dangerous substances and explosive precursors”.
“With this operation, the PSP is once again taking part in the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism (established by the European Union), marked annually on March 11, following terrorist attacks perpetrated with explosives at Atocha station in Madrid on March 11, 2004, which left 193 people dead and around 2,000 injured,” said the statement.
The operation aims to “contribute to reducing the threat posed by explosives precursors in the European Union by reinforcing the system for controlling the marketing and use of explosives precursors, the substances and preparations of which could be misused for the illicit manufacture of explosives”.
Source material: LUSA
