Investigators Say Some Illegal Fireworks Smuggled Into California Are Linked To Organized Crime

Conservative News DailyJuly 3, 2021

A senior arson and bomb investigator in California’s Fire Marshal Office says illegal fireworks brought into the state are increasingly arriving via smugglers tied to criminal street gangs that are also involved in drug trafficking.

The Press-Enterprise reported, “Fireworks that explode, spin along the ground and launch balls of fire high into the air are often purchased legally in other states before being snuck into California, where they are prohibited.” According to the outlet, “They are concealed in passenger cars, trucked in using rental vehicles and driven in caravans sometimes escorted by armed gang members.”

“Other such fireworks enter through the port of Long Beach from Mexico and China and are ostensibly headed out of state to be sold legally, but some somehow never make it to their intended destinations,” the report continued.

“What we are seeing, a large majority of the stuff seems to be linked to organized crime,” said Bryan Gouge, an investigator with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). “You can’t get these items in California. It creates a black market. What we think we are seeing as a trend is gangs running them as fundraisers.”

Gouge told the Press-Enterprise that the fireworks are often sold online, in parking lots, or out of warehouses, and the money generated is used to purchase firearms.

Mike Horton, the San Bernardino County fire marshal and deputy fire warden, said people caught bringing the contraband into the state have revealed, “It’s easier than selling drugs, it’s more lucrative and the consequences are less.”

Authorities are investigating the origin of about 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks seized from a home on a residential street in Los Angeles on Wednesday. An LAPD bomb squad attempted to safely detonate other improvised explosive devices discovered at the scene. But something went wrong when authorities tried to destroy the items in a containment vehicle parked on the street outside. A blast shook the neighborhood, shattering windows, damaging homes, and sending shrapnel up to three blocks away. As a result, 17 people sustained injuries that were not considered life-threatening, including law enforcement officers and civilians. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) national response team arrived at the scene on Thursday to investigate.

Two hours after this blast, I’m at the emergency room. I lost my hearing for a while and now It’s barely coming back. Headache seems to be going away as well.

My thoughts go out to the nine injured at the scene. pic.twitter.com/GISS1v74hI

— Paul Sanchez (@PhotogSanchez) July 1, 2021

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said there was “a total catastrophic failure of that containment vehicle.”

According to ABC7, the man accused of stashing the illegal fireworks and other explosives in the home is 26-year-old Arturo Ceja. He was reportedly released on Thursday after his bond was set at $500,000. Police said the fireworks were brought in from “out of state” to be sold to use on the Fourth of July.

On Friday, authorities reportedly confiscated “a large amount” of illegal fireworks and more than $40,000 cash from an apartment in Riverside. CBSLA reported Carlos Saldana Diaz, 21, was arrested on 90 felony counts of possession of an explosive devise and child endangerment.

Officials recently found more than 18,000 pounds of illegal fireworks during a sting operation conducted at a checkpoint on Interstate 15.

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