MK alleged to be making explosives without permits
A swarm of federal, state and local law enforcement officials
raided an explosives manufacturer on Monday that they believe has
been operating without permits for years just outside Hollister
city limits.
MK Ballistics Systems, whose clients include the U.S. military,
is also suspected of improper handling of explosives, according to
the San Benito County District Attorney. On Monday morning,
officers from a gaggle of agencies including the state Department
of Toxic Substance Control, the California Highway Patrol, the
county California Department of Forestry, the county’s
Environmental Health Department and the District Attorney’s office
arrived on the remote property on Santa Ana Valley Road to execute
a search warrant.
MK alleged to be making explosives without permits
A swarm of federal, state and local law enforcement officials raided an explosives manufacturer on Monday that they believe has been operating without permits for years just outside Hollister city limits.
MK Ballistics Systems, whose clients include the U.S. military, is also suspected of improper handling of explosives, according to the San Benito County District Attorney. On Monday morning, officers from a gaggle of agencies including the state Department of Toxic Substance Control, the California Highway Patrol, the county California Department of Forestry, the county’s Environmental Health Department and the District Attorney’s office arrived on the remote property on Santa Ana Valley Road to execute a search warrant.
“They found a ton of improperly stored explosives,” said D.A. John Sarsfield. “They had to blow them up on-site. According to state Department of Toxic Substances, they didn’t have any state permits for the stuff.”
The federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms arrived on the scene Thursday to check if federal laws had been broken as well. As of press time, no arrests had been made but the investigation and inspection of the complex is ongoing.
Details of the raid and investigation into MK Ballistics Systems are scant because as of press time the authorities involved had yet to return the search warrant to the San Benito courts. State authorities requested that reporters not venture onto the private property.
However, it appears that the company is one of a handful of others in the Hollister area that have been operating with little or no oversight for years.
MK Ballistics Systems is located in the rolling hills east of town, a complex consisting of three or four industrial-type buildings. One looks almost like an old elementary school. The most interesting part of the operation is the four earthen bunkers that sprout about a football field away from the complex of buildings. The bunkers are equipped with metal doors. The entire property is surrounded by vast acres of farmland – row crops and cattle pastures.
Calls to the company were answered by an automatic answering device that indicated the company’s voicemail system was full. According to the company’s website, MK manufactures “less lethal” ammunition and ordnance components and devices. “Less lethal” ammunition is typically a device fired from a gun that is intended to disable rather than kill the victim.
The explosives factory is one of three or four others in the area, and when asked why Hollister is home to so many of these operations, Sarsfield speculated that it is because of the rural nature of the community.
“It appears that there are an unusually high amount of these operations here,” Sarsfield offered. “Probably due to the fact that this was once a predominantly rural county, but it’s grown. There needs to be greater regulations and supervision of these activities. As a small county, we’re not equipped with the resources to do that all the time.”
The D.A. said that the raid and investigation were being conducted under the “environmental prosecution umbrella” of the county. That means that the county’s state-assigned environmental prosecutor has been following the case. San Benito’s former environmental prosecutor, Roy Hubert, has been promoted to another area. He has been replaced by Debbie Smith, an environmental attorney from Sacramento.
Smith said she could not comment on the case since it continues to be investigated.
“We will review the facts and file charges as appropriate,” Smith said.
Officials from the county’s Department of Environmental Health were unavailable for comment. However, prosecutor Roy Hubert was willing to give more information about the raid since he was the lead investigator for the case during the past month.
“This was a cooperative effort between state and federal agencies,” Hubert said. “Samples have been seized and are being sent to state Department of Toxic Substance Control laboratories, and that takes some time to get the results. Additional samples have been seized by ATF and will be tested at their labs, as well.
“We do know some materials had to be detonated on site Tuesday,” Hubert added. “The people at the site have been cooperative. It’s a small operation. I’ve asked the folks in your county to keep me advised.”
