LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA – What started as a simple vehicle check on May 21 quickly escalated when Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) deputies allegedly discovered a staggering 258 pounds of illegal fireworks packed inside a 19-year-old Livermore resident’s car.
Deputies also seized several dozen rounds of ammunition and an undisclosed quantity of a controlled substance during the search, the agency said. The teen was arrested on multiple felony counts, including possession of dangerous fireworks and narcotics.
How big is 258 pounds?
A single consumer-grade aerial shell weighs about two to eight ounces. At that rate, the cache recovered in Livermore could contain well over 500 individual mortars—enough to stage a small professional show or cause serious injury in untrained hands.
Social-media tip led deputies to the stash
Investigators say they had “proactively monitored social media platforms for signs of illegal activity related to fireworks”, and this led to the bust.
So if you’re thinking about hawking fireworks (or buying them) on Facebook Marketplace, think again!…