Illegal fireworks seized

75 tons of illegal fireworks seized in largest bust in California history

By Farley Elliott

Just ahead of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, authorities have seized 75 tons of illegal fireworks from a California warehouse. The bust is believed to be the largest seizure of illegal fireworks in the state’s history.

The weekend action went down at a Vermont Avenue warehouse in the South Bay city of Gardena in greater Los Angeles. Multiple people were arrested as part of the enforcement, according to a news release from the Gardena Police Department, and the street value of the fireworks is said to be as high as $10 million. 

The Gardena Police Department is taking “a zero-tolerance approach to enforcing fireworks laws,” police Chief Mike Saffell said in the release. The Los Angeles Times reported that some of the explosives were as large as 8 inches around and that other “bulk homemade explosives” were in the warehouse as well.

California has long had a robust black market for illegal fireworks, including firecrackers, bottle rockets and mortar-like aerial shells. Sales of the illicit fireworks often spike just before the Fourth of July, when explosions fill the LA sky seemingly all night long. Public officials annually warn people against using illegal fireworks around the city, as the explosions not only frighten pets but also cause brush and house fires.

Prior to this weekend’s bust, the largest seizure of illegal fireworks was in 2021, when 32 tons of materials were confiscated. During the removal of those fireworks in South LA, Los Angeles Police Department employees accidentally detonated the fireworks, leading to a massive explosion that injured 17 people and wiped out a large section of a city street.