150 kilos of illegal fireworks confiscated in downtown Mérida

The director of Merida’s Municipal Police, Commander Mario Arturo Romero Escalante, declared on Thursday December 22nd, that 150 kilos of illegal pyrotechnic products were confiscated from a single person right outside the Lucas de Gálvez market, since he did not have the sale permits and exceeded the amount authorized by National Defense Secretariat (Sedena) for sale and/or transportation.

The officer said the merchandise was seized and placed under custody of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), and it will be the federal authority who determines the legal status of this person.

Over 30 inspectors monitored compliance with security measures, such as vendors’ uniform, fire extinguishers, visible “No Smoking” signs and a badge issued by the Mérida’s Subdirección de Mercados. Absolutely no minors, pregnant women or persons with disabilities are allowed to sell these products.

Out of the 400 permits granted by municipal authorities this year, 50 will be located in the downtown area, and 350 in other parts of the city. Inspectors will supervise to ensure that the corresponding security measures are being complied, such as fire extinguishers, sand tanks, and most important, the stands have to be installed at least eight meters apart from each other.

The surveillance operation includes the participation of state police agents, the Mexican Army (Sedena) and State and Municipal Civil Protection personnel.

Fireworks vendors are authorized to operate during the following dates: December 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31, and they are not allowed to carry more than 10 kilograms of pyrotechnics each.

The coordinator of Municipal Civil Protection of the Historic Center, Jorge Novelo Durán, explained that the pyrotechnics “piñatas” will not be allowed for sale in the downtown area, due to the risk they represent for the civil population and commercial activity in that area.

“We want to reduce as much as possible the risk of an incident with this highly explosive material, and we will conduct daily operations to make sure street vendors are complying with the regulations” Novelo Durán concluded.

Source: http://sipse.com/

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