The man arrested at a home in South Los Angeles where 32,000-pounds of illegal fireworks were found and where a police bomb containment vehicle was destroyed in an explosion has been charged with transporting explosives without a license, according to court documents.
Arturo Ceja III was arrested by federal agents on Saturday.
According to a criminal complaint signed by a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Ceja paid cash for the fireworks at a store called “Area 51” in Pahrump, Nevada, last month and allegedly used a rental truck to deliver the fireworks to his home in L.A.
Ceja admitted during an interview that he bought and transported the fireworks, and allegedly told agents that he stored the fireworks under a tent in his backyard, according to the complaint.
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It was not immediately clear whether Ceja has retained a lawyer.
Agents described the types of fireworks discovered during a search of Ceja’s home on June 30 as “over 500 boxes of commercial grade fireworks, both 1.3 aerial display and 1.4 hazard class fireworks in large cardboard boxes.” Police officers said they saw what they described as “homemade fireworks,” explosive-making components and clear plastic bags for money.
