Detectives arrested Christy Daniel Cugini, 63, at his home in Isla De Palma Circle on Tuesday and charged him with multiple drug charges, including trafficking, as well as nine counts of making or possessing a destructive device.
“The items bore no markings or warnings, and the construction of the devices was inconsistent and sloppy,” arrest reports said. “They did not appear to be commercially produced.”
The bomb squad uncovered six red cylindrical devices that were about four inches long with a green hobby fuse coming out of one end, according to an affidavit from Collier County Officer Jeffrey Tayar. The officer suspected it may have been intended to be a hand-tossed improvised explosive device.
An officer also located three other devices that consisted of a PVC pipe attached to a small square piece of wood. A rifle round was inserted into the PVC pipe and Tayar wrote that the devices appeared to be an “improvised mine.”
“The device could be placed on the ground in such a manner as to leave the rifle round facing up,” Tayar wrote. “If downward pressure were applied on the tip of the round … the rifle round [would] discharge, launching the projectile portion of the round upward, presumably into the foot of the subject stepping on it.”
Miscellaneous commercially produced fireworks and a metallic black powder that was believed to be a commonly used fuel for fireworks were found in closets in the home as well, according to police records. In the garage, officials reportedly found additional PVC pipe and materials that could be used as oxidizers for home-made explosives.
A third-degree felony, Cugini faces hefty jail time if convicted on the possession of destructive device charges.
Newsweek’s attempt to reach Cugini for comment through his office was unsuccessful.
Along with the homemade explosives, officers reportedly found large quantities of narcotics in Cugini’s home. According to Collier County Officer Carl Depasquale, they identified about 560 grams of marijuana—the majority of which was sealed in vacuum bags consistent with the trafficking of marijuana—81 grams of Tramadol, 30 grams of Oxycodone and 8 grams of Hydrocodone. Officers also found various pill bottles with other people’s names on them in a safe that Cugini’s legal representative opened for them, according to police records.
Cugini had his first hearing at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and is set to be arraigned on April 26, according to court records. The investigation into Cugini is still ongoing and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said additional charges could be brought.
