By stopping a van on the A31 this Monday, December 16 at the start of the afternoon, Thionville customs officers had no idea that they would then be placed in solitary confinement.
It is a van, coming from the south of Europe and bound for the north, which was spotted this Monday, December 16 at the beginning of the afternoon, on the A31, by customs officers from Thionville.
A simple glance inside was enough to draw their attention to the somewhat chemical nature of the products contained in the cans and barrels transported in large numbers. The van was driven to the customs headquarters, located at 3 rue des Landes in Thionville, while help from the Moselle Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (Sdis) flocked in large numbers to the site.
“No risk has, for the moment, been proven”
When contacted, the latter confirmed the particular nature of the intervention which took place, during part of the afternoon, on the customs site and in the surrounding area. As for the suspect van, it was the subject of an ad hoc system for this type of situation with the necessary precautionary and protection measures for personnel. Contacted, the customs communication confirmed the intervention by mentioning “sensitive products, but that no risk has, for the moment, been proven”.
According to our information, the van was filled with barrels and cans of chemicals which seemed, at first glance, extremely dangerous, even potentially fatal. Emergency services, specialized in chemical risks, were dispatched to the site. While eight customs officers were temporarily isolated. Relief at the beginning of the evening, the checks carried out, the doubt was removed: the products, several of which are included in the composition of extremely powerful synthetic drugs, are not what they appeared to be.
The driver will be able to resume his journey in the evening while the customs agents, reassured, will be able to return to their homes.
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