Hawaiʻi Fireworks Task Force seizes 24 tons of fireworks in Honolulu

The Department of Law Enforcementʻs Illegal Fireworks Task Force seized approximately 24 tons of fireworks in a shipping container in Honolulu on Thursday, Feb. 15.

All the seized fireworks were display fireworks, otherwise known as “1.3G fireworks,” consisting of aerial shells in varying sizes.

Department officials say these 1.3 G fireworks require significant licensure and are only authorized for importation, storage and use by lawfully permitted entities. “They are meant to be used by people who have specialized professional training and not for use by the public,” according to a department news release.

This seizure of fireworks occurred during a routine inspection of goods entering Hawaiʻi. The investigation into the discovery of these fireworks, as well as the investigations of previously seized fireworks, are continuing.

“The Illegal Fireworks Task Force is comprehensively examining the entire fireworks environment in Hawaiʻi, including both legitimate industry and the black market,” said DLE smith Deputy Director Jared Redulla. “Fireworks are highly regulated items in Hawaiʻi. Consequently, everyone who decides to get involved with fireworks must strictly comply with all the federal, state, and county laws that regulate them.”

The Department of Law Enforcement is the coordinating agency for the Illegal Fireworks Task Force which comprises state DLE investigators, deputy sheriffs, county police officers, the Department of the Attorney General, and federal agencies such as Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Investigation Service, US Customs and Border Protection, the United States Coast Guard Investigation Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“Although we are well past the holiday season, the Illegal Fireworks Task Force will continue to investigate fireworks in our community all year round,” said Redulla.