RAS AL KHAIMAH // A man has been arrested for storing tonnes of illegal fireworks in every room of a villa he shared with his wife and four children in Umm Al Quwain.

Police carried out raids on two villas in Ras Al Khaimah and UAQ and seized a total of 50 tonnes of pyrotechnics after receiving a video via Snapchat offering the explosives for sale.

In total, four people were arrested, including two 18-year-old Emiratis who appeared in the video. They led officers to a villa in RAK and another home in UAQ, where two other men were selling fireworks.

Police raided the UAQ villa and found one of the men had been converted his home into a makeshift warehouse to store large quantities of fireworks.

“He filled all rooms, bathrooms and kitchens with the fireworks and didn’t care for the presence of his four kids and wife in the house. He put fireworks in their bedrooms and under beds endangering their lives and all residents in the area," said Colonel Abdullah Ali Munkis, director of the Criminal Investigation Department at RAK Police.

Major General Ali Abdullah bin Alwan Al Nuaimi, commander-in-chief of RAK Police, appealed to members of the public to report the illegal trade in fireworks that put people’s lives in danger.

Fireworks are mostly sold during Ramadan and in the build up to Eid celebrations and are illegal for sale in the UAE.