Firework tents and sale locations for fireworks seem to be
everywhere you turn. And while some businesses are only sticking to legal
fireworks for sale in Arizona, some are not. The Mesa Police Department began
its Fireworks Enforcement Operation on June 24, 2024. Within that week, Mesa
police officers along with Mesa Fire Inspectors began to inspect firework sale
locations and proactively investigate illegal firework sales.
On June 27, 2024, officers initiated a traffic stop on a
vehicle for making a wide right turn and saw illegal fireworks in the open
truck bed as they approached. The driver was identified as 18-year-old Wilbur
Rabago. Rabago admitted to having the fireworks for sale and hoped to sell them
for $1,000. He was booked into jail for violating Mesa City Code 6-21.2A Prohibited Fireworks and 7-2-2 Prohibited
Fireworks for Sale, both misdemeanors.
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| Wilbur Rabago |
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| Illegal Fireworks |
This same day, June 27, 2024, officers contacted a subject selling illegal aerial fireworks, which were housed at a location in Chandler, AZ. A search warrant was granted, allowing officers to enter the storage containers believed to have the fireworks inside. Officers found nine shipping containers, forty feet in length, containing 2,147 boxes of illegal fireworks. The fireworks were stacked on 95 pallets and took four semi-truck loads to move and are estimated at over $1,000,000.
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| Boxes of Illegal Fireworks |
Officers identified the operator of the firework business and charges are pending as the investigation continues.
The 4th of July should be a fun day of celebration, just do so safely and lawfully. The Mesa Police Department will have a dedicated team of officers available during the holiday to strictly enforce firework laws. The agency has also created a new link to report illegal firework activity online with the choice of remaining anonymous. The person submitting the request can send photos and/ or videos and the information will come to officers currently working in the community. This email box will be monitored all hours of the day and night through July 6, 2024, allowing citizens to report illegal fireworks in real time. Just visit mesaaz.gov, click “Residents,” then under “Police” click “Report Fireworks.”
Citizens can also report illegal firework activity by
calling the Mesa Police Department non-emergency number at 480-644-2211,
emailing FIREWORKS@mesaaz.gov, or
calling 911 in case of emergency.
As a reminder, some fireworks in Arizona are illegal. For
information about which fireworks, please visit https://fire.mesaaz.gov/community-outreach/fireworks
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