Paphos criminal court on Thursday referred three persons to trial on charges of illegal possession and transport of explosive devices – some 96,000 firecrackers.

The three defendants were referred to trial after they all pleaded not guilty. The first hearing in the trial is scheduled for October 24. In the meantime the defendants have been released on certain conditions.

The 96,140 firecrackers had been discovered and seized by authorities in a forest area in Paphos, near the Tzelefos bridge.

Acting on a tip, Drug Squad officers tracked down three men unloading boxes from two vehicles.

In the first vehicle, driven by a 34-year-old man, officers found 10 cardboard boxes containing 18,960 firecrackers.

Inside the second vehicle – with a 31-year-old as the driver and a 23-year-old as passenger – police found 52 boxes with 77,180 firecrackers.

All three men had been arrested on the spot.

In addition, at the time the 34-year-old was holding a rucksack containing more than €3,000 in cash – for which he did not provide a satisfactory explanation.