Man sold , fireworks, guns and flash powder to undercover agents The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says it has made the agency’s biggest explosives haul ever in the District in an operation dubbed “Born on the Fourth of July.”
Undercover agents had been buying thousands of dollars in explosives, commercial fireworks and handguns for the past month but decided to make an arrest and confiscate the rest of the explosives Friday after they realized how much of the dangerous materials the suspect had stored in his apartment, an ATF spokesman said.
“It’s the largest amount of explosives ATF has recovered in D.C.,” said Special Agent Mike Campbell. “We don’t normally see cases like this.”
Authorities charged Laquinn Williams, of Northeast Washington, with being a felon selling firearms or explosives.
Williams was born on July 4, 1948.
Campbell said the commercial grade explosives are designed for licensed fireworks companies that put on shows on the National Mall.
The materials could cause serious damage if the explosives landed in the wrong hands, he said.
Authorities got a tip about a man illegally selling commercial fireworks, and arranged to meet with Williams in the parking lot of a liquor store at 2648 Naylor Road NE on May 6.
Williams reportedly sold the officer 140 grams of flash powder, commercial fireworks for $160, and said that he also sold firearms.
Over the next three weeks, authorities said, police bought from Williams a HiPoint .45-caliber pistol, a .32-caliber revolver and several cases of the commercial explosives worth thousands of dollars.
That’s when authorities decided to make an arrest and recover the rest of the contraband.
“It became a public safety issue,” Campbell said.
“The amount could have done quite a lot of damage to the building he stored them in.”
During a search of Williams’ apartment at 608 44th St. NE, police said they recovered 15 cases of commercial explosives.
Williams, who has a felony conviction for burglary, admitted that he was selling commercial and consumer fireworks and explosives, according to charging document. Williams is not licensed to sell firearms or explosives.
