San Jose police last weekend arrested a man they say is responsible for distributing mass quantities of illegal fireworks out of the Alviso area.
Mark Espinoza, 49, of San Jose was arrested Sunday and booked into Santa Clara County jail on $1 million bail, police said.
The investigation dates back to early June when officers were assigned to follow up on community concerns regarding the illegal use and sale of fireworks in the Alviso area of North San Jose, police said.
Officers identified Espinoza as a suspect and served search warrants on his vehicles. Espinoza had illegal fireworks in his possession at the time of his arrest, police said.
On Monday, police served another search warrant at a Milpitas storage unit, where they seized more than 1,000 pounds of illegal fireworks, SJPD said.
“He was selling the actual fireworks,” said Sgt. Jorge Garibay of the San Jose Police Department. “I’m not sure how he was connecting with his customers but he was distributing throughout the Bay Area.”
Espinoza is a familiar face in the Alviso neighborhood, where he fought the city for not putting in a public park.
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But well-known Alviso community leader Richard Santos said Espinoza had a prior conviction for illegal fireworks and praised police for the arrest while still criticizing the city for ignoring Alviso’s ongoing fireworks problem.
“Nobody comes in the mayor’s house with a six pack and a folding chair, but they come to Alviso. So it’s been lawless. So they did a great job, they finally got the source that’s been contributing to this for 15 to 20 years,” Santos said.
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Anyone with information about the case should contact Officer Ells of the San Jose Police Department's Metro Unit via email at 4592@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4044. Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at 408-947-STOP, or on www.svcrimestoppers.org.
