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Explosives missing at construction site
The Press-Enterprise ^ | 11/28/06 | John Asbury

Posted on 11/29/2006 12:44:51 PM PST by LibWhacker

Two packages containing 110 pounds of explosives were stolen over the weekend from a construction site in Menifee, a federal firearms official said Tuesday.

Workers arriving Monday at the site in the 25000 block of Newport Road found a chain-link fence broken and the door to the explosives magazine pried open, said Susan Raichel, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

An inventory of the materials later revealed that two 55-pound cases of Blastex blasting agent were missing, she said. The theft was reported about 6 a.m. Monday by an employee of the Edic and Watt Inc. construction company.

The explosives are used for quarry and construction blasting, Raichel said.

"In the wrong hands, this could be dangerous," she said. "It could create a deadly result if someone doesn't know what they're doing."

An electric blasting cap is required to activate the explosives, Raichel said. The explosives are contained in waterproof, plastic, sausage-like tubing and are commonly used for below-ground blasting.

Riverside County sheriff's deputies and ATF officials said they have no suspects in the case and no indication as to why someone stole the materials.

A similar theft occurred in June when more than 600 sticks of dynamite were taken from a Big Bear-area mining company. All but about 30 sticks were recovered after being left at Riverside and Moreno Valley fire stations.

Joshua Gawn, of Moreno Valley, faces charges in connection with that theft, and Michael Grayot, of Mira Loma, is charged with possessing the same explosives.

Police are hoping the incident might be the result of a botched construction-site theft.

"If bad guys steal something that's not useful, they'll usually toss it," said Riverside County sheriff's Cpl. Dennis Gutierrez. "They might not realize what they took."

The ATF is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those behind the theft, Raichel said.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case or anyone who might see the explosives to contact the Riverside County sheriff's station in Perris at 951-940-6200.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: blastex; california; construction; explosives; stolen
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1 posted on 11/29/2006 12:44:53 PM PST by LibWhacker
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To: LibWhacker

Someone planning on celebrating the election of San Francisco values?


2 posted on 11/29/2006 12:49:13 PM PST by theDentist (Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll.)
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To: LibWhacker

From the weight it appears to be of foreign manufacture. As such there could be any amount missing worldwide, but the ludicrously small amount missing from the construction site should empower the trillion dollar anti-terrorism industry for yet a few more days.


3 posted on 11/29/2006 12:53:13 PM PST by RightWhale (RTRA DLQS GSCW)
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To: LibWhacker

Does the Dome of the Rock need to be in pieces or in dust?


4 posted on 11/29/2006 12:55:57 PM PST by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici)
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To: RightWhale

I don't know anything about explosives. How much damage could 110lbs of Blastex do, anyhow?


5 posted on 11/29/2006 12:57:56 PM PST by LibWhacker
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To: RightWhale
I have a feeling many American explosives companies do their packaging in kilos, too. After all, they do sell to foreign markets.

The converse is not true, however. My wife buys many of her perfume-making supplies from foreign suppliers; she has to do all her purchasing in metric. Fortunately, most of that industry is converting to metric, so most of her "recipes" use grams and milliliters...

6 posted on 11/29/2006 12:58:29 PM PST by Junior (Losing faith in humanity one person at a time.)
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To: LibWhacker

I bet someone is planning a fishing trip ;0)>


7 posted on 11/29/2006 1:03:15 PM PST by BradtotheBone
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To: LibWhacker

Well, a couple tons in a Ryder truck out front might take the facade off a ten-story building. This would be 1/40th of that. You'd notice the explosion. In a crowd it would mess up a bunch of people.


8 posted on 11/29/2006 1:04:05 PM PST by RightWhale (RTRA DLQS GSCW)
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To: LibWhacker
The article doesn't say if any detonators were stolen. The Blastex is probably pretty safe without detonators. Indeed, the thing about making many devices, especially those based on amonium nitrate and fuel oil, is that one needs detonators and they're the hard things to get. If the perps didn't take any detonators, they were a real bunch of fools.
9 posted on 11/29/2006 1:07:26 PM PST by libstripper (!!)
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To: LibWhacker

Missing

10 posted on 11/29/2006 1:08:33 PM PST by Cobra64 (Why is the War on Terror being managed by the DEFENSE Department?)
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To: Junior
About 10 years ago, my wife bought me a bottle of Red for Men by Giorgio. Do they still make it?
11 posted on 11/29/2006 1:10:56 PM PST by Cobra64 (Why is the War on Terror being managed by the DEFENSE Department?)
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To: Junior

I have been both English and metric since majoring in physics a few decades ago. I think that tsunami tidal waves should be measured strictly in feet and stellar distances in parsecs. That is my considered opinion and about as far as it goes.


12 posted on 11/29/2006 1:11:40 PM PST by RightWhale (RTRA DLQS GSCW)
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To: RightWhale
It just may be ... some patriots with real brass ones have a plan.

Just a guess ... I know in my neck o' th' woods there's a whole bunch of pissed of conservatives.

13 posted on 11/29/2006 1:16:53 PM PST by knarf (Islamists kill each other ... News wall-to-wall, 24/7 .. don't touch that dial.)
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To: RightWhale
This would be 1/40th of that. You'd notice the explosion. In a crowd it would mess up a bunch of people.

...Yep.

14 posted on 11/29/2006 1:18:14 PM PST by Allegra (Can't Talk Now...I'm Busy Looking for That Civil War the Media Keeps Talking About)
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To: LibWhacker

"How much damage could 110lbs of Blastex do, anyhow?"

You could make a lot of 1 lb. anti-personnel bombs out of it. You'd need a lot of caps though but if you were a terrorist I'm sure you could just have some coyote bring them over the border for you.


15 posted on 11/29/2006 1:20:38 PM PST by dljordan
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To: knarf

That kind of thing will draw attention from the authorities who don't care if somebody has his dighties in a wad about something so long as he doesn't say or do something 'tupid.


16 posted on 11/29/2006 1:21:17 PM PST by RightWhale (RTRA DLQS GSCW)
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To: RightWhale
Hmmm... Okay, thanks. Sounds like it's only good for about one or two respectable IEDs, and that's it. Not that I believe terrorists are behind this theft. On the contrary, probably just a couple of local doofuses.

Still, I think I'm going to start doing a daily search for stolen explosive articles, because whenever I search, I seem to come up with something small and under the radar, like this one. And they do add up.

17 posted on 11/29/2006 1:21:17 PM PST by LibWhacker
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To: libstripper

"If the perps didn't take any detonators, they were a real bunch of fools."

You don't store detonators with blasting agents.


18 posted on 11/29/2006 1:21:46 PM PST by dljordan
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To: LibWhacker

When the inventory doesn't match the delivery sheets it is invariably a shortage. Nobody ever finds more of whatever than he bought. It's a Law of the Universe.


19 posted on 11/29/2006 1:24:18 PM PST by RightWhale (RTRA DLQS GSCW)
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To: BradtotheBone

(.. fishing trip )

Ahhhhh..the DuPont Lure..good for anything that swims.


20 posted on 11/29/2006 1:28:16 PM PST by sidegunner
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