{"id":581012,"date":"2021-07-03T11:20:54","date_gmt":"2021-07-03T15:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=581012"},"modified":"2021-07-03T11:20:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-03T15:20:56","slug":"investigators-say-some-illegal-fireworks-smuggled-into-california-are-linked-to-organized-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/investigators-say-some-illegal-fireworks-smuggled-into-california-are-linked-to-organized-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"Investigators Say Some Illegal Fireworks Smuggled Into California Are Linked To Organized Crime"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Finvestigators-say-some-illegal-fireworks-smuggled-into-california-are-linked-to-organized-crime%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=581012&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Illegal-Fireworks.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>A senior arson and bomb investigator in California\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pe.com\/2021\/07\/01\/street-gangs-smuggling-illegal-dangerous-fireworks-into-southern-california\/\">The Press-Enterprise reported<\/a>, \u201cFireworks 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.\u201d According to the outlet, \u201cThey are concealed in passenger cars, trucked in using rental vehicles and driven in caravans sometimes escorted by armed gang members.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOther 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,\u201d the report continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we are seeing, a large majority of the stuff seems to be linked to organized crime,\u201d said Bryan Gouge, an investigator with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). \u201cYou can\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Horton, the San Bernardino County fire marshal and deputy fire warden, said people caught bringing the contraband into the state have revealed, \u201cIt\u2019s easier than selling drugs, it\u2019s more lucrative and the consequences are less.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"10.416666666667\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Two hours after this blast, I\u2019m at the emergency room. I lost my hearing for a while and now It\u2019s barely coming back. Headache seems to be going away as well. <\/p>\n<p>My thoughts go out to the nine injured at the scene. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GISS1v74hI\">pic.twitter.com\/GISS1v74hI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Paul Sanchez (@PhotogSanchez) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhotogSanchez\/status\/1410459822961606656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 1, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>LAPD Chief Michel Moore said there was \u201ca total catastrophic failure of that containment vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/south-la-explosion-illegal-fireworks-suspect-released-on-bond\/10855212\/\">According to ABC7<\/a>, 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 \u201cout of state\u201d to be sold to use on the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, authorities reportedly confiscated \u201ca large amount\u201d of illegal fireworks and more than $40,000 cash from an apartment in Riverside. <a href=\"https:\/\/losangeles.cbslocal.com\/2021\/07\/02\/riverside-resident-carlos-saldana-diaz-arrested-for-alleged-fireworks-possession-child-endangerment\/\">CBSLA reported<\/a> Carlos Saldana Diaz, 21, was arrested on 90 felony counts of possession of an explosive devise and child endangerment.<\/p>\n<p>Officials <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/illegal-fireworks-inland-empire-riverside-san-bernardino\/10847992\/\">recently found<\/a> more than 18,000 pounds of illegal fireworks during a sting operation conducted at a checkpoint on Interstate 15.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/atf-investigating-lapds-botched-detonation-of-seized-explosives\">ATF Investigating LAPD\u2019s Botched Detonation Of Seized Explosives<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A senior arson and bomb investigator in California\u2019s Fire Marshal Office says illegal fireworks brought into the state are increasingly arriving via smugglers tied to criminal street gangs that are &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2313965,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Illegal-Fireworks.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Investigators Say Some Illegal Fireworks Smuggled Into California Are Linked To Organized Crime","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-581012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Illegal-Fireworks.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Investigators Say Some Illegal Fireworks Smuggled Into California Are Linked To Organized Crime","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581012\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2313965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}