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Gardena police seize largest illegal firework stash in California history
In an aerial view, large illegal fireworks in Los Angeles.
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David McNew
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Gardena police seized the largest stash of illegal fireworks in California history — 75 tons — from a commercial warehouse last week.
The details: Gardena police said the fireworks had an estimated street value of between $7 million and $10 million. The fireworks were safely removed from the warehouse, and police arrested three people on suspicion of possessing illegal explosives and other weapons violations.
How the seizure stacks up: Gardena police noted the most recent record for an illegal fireworks seizure was 32 tons in a South L.A. warehouse in 2021. And then there was the botched fireworks explosion in a South L.A. neighborhood the same year — that seizure was around 15 tons.
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California's patchwork fireworks laws: The state allows what are known as "safe and sane" fireworks. But local jurisdictions have their own rules. Gardena allows fireworks for the Fourth of July, but they have to be bought from a licensed fireworks stand. In the city of Los Angeles and L.A. County unincorporated areas, all fireworks are illegal.
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