An American tradition: Every summer East Bay cops go undercover for fireworks

OAKLAND — Before July 4th each year, undercover cops take to the streets and the internet in search of firework sellers.

This year had them on Instagram talking with “@Pyro.moe38,” or answering Craigslist ads with pictures of large pyrotechnic launchers. It even brought them to an Alameda warehouse where they’d allegedly seen pictures depicting 50,000 pounds of fireworks, or an store called Hyphy Mini Mart, where an undercover cop allegedly bought marijuana and arranged a $300 fireworks deal, court records show.

Felony charges have followed. In San Leandro, a 24-year-old man was charged with selling fireworks out of his trunk. In Oakland, a 35-year-old man was charged with possessing and manufacturing assault weapons, after police raided his home during an online fireworks investigation. In Livermore, an 18-year-old man was charged with possessing 258 pounds of fireworks in his bedroom following an undercover investigation, court records show.

Hyphy Mini Mart, meanwhile, was raided but police didn’t report finding fireworks. Instead, they found packs of cannabis, flavored tobacco, and an assault pistol, according to court records. They also cleaned $95 from the store’s cash register during the raid.

California law allows for “safe and sane” fireworks but not those deemed “dangerous,” including devices that launch fireworks into the air, despite the fact that these items are legal in other parts of the country. This year, Californians celebrated July 4th on the heels of a tragic explosion in the Bay Area-adjacent community of Esparto, where seven people were presumed killed when an allegedly unpermitted fireworks warehouse blew up.

The law enforcement operations are done alongside pubic campaigns to dissuade people from shooting off their own fireworks. But each year’s efforts hardly seem to make a dent; every July 4th the skies of the East Bay light up with colorful blasts all night despite it all.