Gozo man fined €20,000 for illegally manufacturing fireworks near Jesuit home

A man from Victoria, Gozo has been fined €20,000 and ordered to pay €2,000 in court costs, after he was found guilty of the illegal manufacture and storage of fireworks in a shipping container.

The man, 46-year-old Joseph Muscat, also had his fireworks license revoked.

The case dates back to May 2015 when the police received a report of explosives being stored in a field on the border between Fontana and Victoria, adjacent to premises used by the Jesuit order. Police found a container storing 19 large fireworks and a small amount of ground fireworks.

Finding Muscat guilty Magistrate Joe Mifsud observed that the accused had not only placed himself in danger, but also people in the vicinity. The court commented that the punishment, as well as reflecting the gravity of the crime, should act as a deterrent to both the accused and others who might be contemplating following his example.

Aside from the hefty fine, the court also ordered the confiscation of the shipping container, as well as the explosives and equipment inside.