Facebook Sales Helping Fuel Illegal Fireworks Problem in Fresno, says Police Chief

Fresno police and fire officials display recently confiscated illegal fireworks (GV Wire/Jahz Tello) Facebook posts selling illegal fireworks are among the latest challenges faced by Fresno officials trying to clamp down on nightly and noisy aerial displays roiling neighborhoods across the city. Police Chief Paco Balderrama says the social media posts are just one part of a network of illegal sales his department is up against. Numerous local Facebook Marketplace posts advertise game controllers for sale, while clearly showing boxes of illegal fireworks in their promotional images. (via Facebook) “We’ve also been conducting some undercover operations where we have found out that there is a lot of illegal firework sales here in Fresno and some of these sales occur through social media and through the dark web. So we have to be proactive,” Balderrama said. A recent Facebook Marketplace post with a headline advertising an Xbox controller shows pictures of the gaming device being held up in front of boxes of aerial explosives. Similar images are used for several different sellers. The fireworks are transported from neighboring states and places like Mexico, where the sale and use of aerial displays is permitted. In California, devices like skyrockets, aerial shells, and…
Read More