In Stanton, an effort to crack down on illegal fireworks on the Fourth of July by using unmanned drones appears to have paid off: The city issued nearly $1 million in illegal fireworks fines, including one $300,000 citation, officials confirmed.

Stanton drones reportedly captured $929,000 worth of illegal firework violations, involving 18 citations between July 2 and July 5, according to Stanton City Manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn. The city rolled out a Fourth of July drone program this year to catch and fine those engaging in illegal firework activity following the passage of a spring ordinance.

At one property, 300 illegal fireworks allegedly were discharged between 6:52 p.m. and 10:10 p.m. on July 4, per a now-deleted photo posted on Reddit of the costly citation, with each violation

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