Bust in Morgan Hill has Hollister police paying closer attention
to Mongols motorcycle club, which they believe are spending more
time there
Morgan Hill – A large cache of weapons and drugs was discovered last weekend in the home of a Mongols motorcycle club member by Morgan Hill police officers working with agents from the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team.
The bust even has Hollister police paying close attention to the Mongols motorcycle club, a group law enforcement officials believe is spending more time in Hollister.
Police arrested Morgan Hill resident Steve Martinez, 53, on Saturday, for felony possession of methamphetamine for sale, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a dangerous weapon and possession of an unregistered assault weapon. Police also charged Martinez with several misdemeanor charges for giving a false name to police, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of methamphetamine, said UNET Cmdr. Mark Colla.
Morgan Hill police first arrested Martinez on drug charges while serving an arrest warrant on a man in an unrelated case. At that location police found Martinez in the man’s home under the influence of methamphetamine. After finding 26 grams of methamphetamine and 50 empty small bags in Martinez’s sock, police called UNET to serve a search warrant on his home at 17255 Peak Ave., in Morgan Hill, Colla said.
In Martinez’s bedroom they found a drug price list that detailed the value of various narcotics by weight, Colla said. Police also found a .22-caliber Derringer pistol and a slung shot, a modern version of a Medieval mace. Police also uncovered a large cache of legal and illegal weapons in two locked safes in Martinez’s backyard storage area. Martinez refused to give UNET agents combinations to the two safes, so they called a locksmith to open them, Colla said. Inside, UNET agents found five unregistered semi-automatic rifles, including an AK-47, two assault shotguns, two hunting shotguns, nine hunting rifles and 21 handguns. In addition to the firearms, agents also found two pairs of nunchakus and two sets of brass knuckles.
“Based on the amount of firearms and drugs, that’s definitely not the kind of guy you want walking around on the street,” Colla said.
Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller agreed.
“Outlaw motorcycle gangs are under-recognized as contributing to our gang problem,” Miller said. “Their presence in Hollister has been increasing and we always try to be aware when a group that has a potential for violence is in town.”
Martinez even had a business card that identified him as a “one-percenter.” Miller said the term dates back to Hollister’s 1947 rally when an American Motorcycle Association official noted that only 1 percent of bikers caused trouble.
Martinez is being held in the Santa Clara County Jail without bail. If convicted of a single count of possession of an unregistered firearm, Martinez could face up to eight years in state prison, according to the California Penal Code.
