A summer greenhouse fire in San Martin has been linked to the
numerous copper thefts in the area, a connection which came to
light during a year-long sting operation by San Jose and Santa
Clara police that wrapped up with multiple arrests Tuesday.
A summer greenhouse fire in San Martin has been linked to the numerous copper thefts in the area, a connection which came to light during a year-long sting operation by San Jose and Santa Clara police that wrapped up with multiple arrests Tuesday.
The sting netted 74 firearms, 14 tons of copper wire and 68 arrests, including one man who police said is the first in the nation charged with making an “Improvised Explosive Device,” capable of being detonated using a cell phone.
The July 17 fire destroyed at least 12 greenhouses, multiple mobile homes and several trailers and a garage containing several vehicles on the property on Murphy Avenue near the intersection of East Middle Avenue, and was recently linked to the thefts, police said.
The fire was initially labeled “suspicious,” and the daughter of the owner of the property indicated the blaze may have been the result of arson by a former tenant.
But, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Ray Mendoza, during the course of the investigation into copper theft, many other crimes came to light, including drugs, stolen vehicles and illegal weapons. Mendoza said the greenhouse fire was started as copper wire thieves latched onto a live wire. He said suspects told undercover officers that they were stealing copper wire from the Murphy Avenue property when they hit the hot wire.
“The arc was so great it fused the boltcutters to the wire,” he said.
Undercover officers with the Santa Clara Police Department and the San Jose Police Department opened a storefront recycling business, “Jose Clara Co-op,” in the City of Santa Clara. About 14 tons of copper were purchased through the business since April 2007, with an estimated street value of $96,000.
Wire was stolen from a school in the county, Mendoza said, causing $50,000 in damage because the school’s entire air conditioning system needed to be replaced, yet the thieves netted perhaps $500.
Some of the thefts were obviously inside jobs, Mendoza said.
“Many of these (thefts) were just people looking to make a quick buck, some people are addicts looking to feed their habit, others are more organized,” he said.
According to officials, as the investigation expanded, weapons, drugs and stolen vehicles were also a part of the sting. Forty stolen vehicles were purchased, including a BMW, Porsche Carrera, Nissan 350Z, Audi, Toyota MR2, a new Ford Edge SUV, and other SUVs, sedans and two motorcycles. One vehicle, which would sell for about $32,000 to 33,000, was purchased for $800 with 11 miles on the odometer.
Fourteen different suspects were involved in narcotics purchases including methamphetamine, marijuana, ecstasy and Vicodin.
Undercover officers purchased 74 firearms, including 21 banned assault weapons, four firearms which had been reported stolen, two fully automatic weapons, two sawed-off shotguns and eight firearms with damaged or removed serial numbers.
“Each one of these guns represents a life saved, a family spared,” Mendoza said. “We know some of these weapons were destined for gangs.”
The operation is estimated to have cost $240,000, not including labor costs.
During the sting, more than 270 suspects were investigated, and 68 were arrested prior to what the departments have termed “arrest day,” which was Tuesday. On that day, more than 150 officers from the two departments attempted to serve 140 arrest warrants, and 74 of them were served. Eleven other people were arrested during the course of serving the warrants.
Many of the suspects were identified as gang members, and 92 percent of them had criminal records, according to Santa Clara police Chief Stephen Lodge.
One alleged bomb builder was arrested after he offered his wares for sale at the Santa Clara location.
Steven E. Gilbuena, 45, of Fremont was arrested Tuesday evening during a car stop on multiple charges, according to Mendoza, after seven “Improvised Explosive Devices” or IEDs were purchased trough the sting. Several of these bombs, allegedly made by Gilbuena, could be remotely detonated by cell phone, making Gilbuena the first in the nation, according to authorities, to be charged with making this type of device.
By the numbers
28,000 pounds, or 14 tons, of copper purchased
40 stolen vehicles purchased
74 firearms purchased
273 suspects investigated, 92 percent with criminal records
140 arrest warrants issued, 74 served successfully
$240,000 cost of operation, minus labor costs
