“This is better than dope.”
Dan Glozer, Police detective
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
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Photo by Ian Kluft |
It’s a familiar scene, one that’s played out a hundred times on television: cops patrolling the California border watching for signs of illegal smuggling. But this time it isn’t the border with Mexico they’re watching; it’s Nevada. And it isn't drugs or illegal immigrants; it’s something much more explosive: fireworks.
You see, fireworks are legal to sell in Nevada but are not legal to own in California. The border town of Pahrump, Nevada (population 39,344) is doing a booming business in the kaboom business. Folks from California drive to Nevada, buy up pyrotechnics at about twice market value, and sneak back to California with their explosive stash under covers. As in any smuggling operation, officials are always on the lookout for suspicious vehicles. They say they’re not hard to spot—sedans, minivans, and trucks packed with blankets in 90 degree heat.
There’s another activity that’s legal in Pahrump but not in California: ladies of the evening. But this one would be much trickier to smuggle back across the border. Can you imagine the fireworks at home if these guys get caught?
Read the Article ® Illegal fireworks small town's explosive main export
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