NCIS Recovers C-4 Explosives Missing for Months from Marine Corps Base

Some six months after 10 pounds of C-4 explosives mysteriously disappeared from a California Marine Corps base, officials with Naval Criminal Investigative Service say they've been found.

A brief NCIS news release Tuesday afternoon stated simply that the powerful explosives in question, which disappeared from Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms, Calif., in January, had been recovered.

"No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed at this time," the statement from NCIS spokesman Jeff Houston said. "Out of respect for the investigative process, NCIS will not provide further details while the investigation continues."

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ABC7 News, which initially uncovered the investigation, reported that the commander of the undisclosed unit from which the C-4 disappeared had suspected theft.

"The unit's commanding officer is considering extending the training exercise until the explosives are found," the outlet reported at the time. "They also confirm the commanding officer messaged subordinate commands about a monetary reward for any information leading to the discovery of the C-4."

The news of the explosives' recovery comes the same day the Associated Press released an in-depth report on stolen military weapons, including grenades and assault rifles, that turn up on the street after disappearing from storage facilities. Some 1,900 military weapons went missing between 2010 and 2019, AP reported.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

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