Cops are cracking down on the booming illegal fireworks industry, arresting 11 people in the last week and confiscating thousands of dollars worth of fireworks ahead of the holiday weekend, police said.
People thinking of lighting up some sparklers for July 4th may want to reconsider, as Police Commissioner William Bratton said he is prepared to arrest anyone involved with the illegal explosives.
“This type of activity is not only illegal, but is extremely dangerous,” Bratton said. “Each year these endeavors regrettably result in property damage, injuries and even death.”
On June 23 cops raided an Ozone Park apartment and confiscated an artillery of firecrackers and arrested one on charges of dealing of fireworks worth over $ 3,000, police said.
In that bust, police seized 16 boxes of “Flaming Balls,” two boxes of “Artillery Shells,” two 196-shot “Fire Candles,” nine boxes of “Battery Shots,” 11 packets of six “Roman Candles,” four packets of “Bottle Rockets,” three packets of “Firecrackers,” two “Grenade Crackers,” and other assorted fireworks from the Queens home.
Then on June 18 and 19, cops busted three people and recovered $ 7,000 worth of fireworks that were being brought in illegally from Pennsylvania.
Since January, the NYPD’s Organized Crime Control Bureau has arrested dozens of people by targeting black-market firework sellers within the five boroughs and legal sellers outside of New York state, namely in Pennsylvania, who depend on New Yorkers to buy fireworks in bulk before bringing them back home to the Big Apple.
Through last Monday, city cops had fielded nearly 50 fireworks-related calls to the city’s 311 system, and almost 600 calls to 911, according to police.
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