State senators see results — and challenges — during illegal fireworks bunker inspection

Members of the Hawai‘i Senate conducted a site visit at the beginning of this month to inspect a bunker used to store illegal fireworks confiscated by law enforcement.

Senators also were briefed about the ongoing work of the Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement Illegal Fireworks Task Force, highlighting enforcement efforts and challenges of addressing illegal fireworks throughout the islands.

“Illegal fireworks pose serious risks to our neighborhoods, and the work of the task force is critical to protecting the public,” said Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs Sen. Brandon Elefante of O‘ahu in a Senate release about the site visit.

Elefante added that the Hawai‘i Legislature — as made apparent by the passage of Acts 246, 243, 244 and 247 during the 2025 legislative session — is committed to supporting the Illegal Fireworks Task Force and its enforcement, as well as effective legislation addressing illegal fireworks in the state.

“Illegal fireworks jeopardize the quality of life in our communities, and that’s why the Legislature created the task force — to ensure we have the tools to protect our residents and hold violators accountable,” said chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz of O‘ahu in the Senate release.

The Illegal Fireworks Task Force — established in 2023 to coordinate enforcement and strengthen interagency collaboration — DURING THE PAST 2 YEARS:

• Seized more than 227,000 pounds of illegal fireworks.
• Conducted more than 1,200 enforcement operations.
• Coordinated multi-agency interdictions that disrupted major shipments of illegal fireworks statewide.

“The creation of the task force has allowed us to better align county, state and federal resources, and these results show the progress we can achieve when we work together,” said Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement Director Mike Lambert in the release.