Illegal fireworks probe results in arrest of San Jose man; 1,000 pounds of fireworks seized
SAN JOSE -- A man suspected of distributing "large quantities" of illegal fireworks throughout the Bay Area was arrested and found to have half a ton of fireworks stored away, police said Thursday.
San Jose Police said in a press statement that in early June, investigators began looking into community concerns about the illegal use and sale of fireworks in the Alviso area of North San Jose.
Police identified San Jose resident Mark Espinoza, 49, as the suspect responsible for selling fireworks throughout the Bay Area. A search warrant was issued for Espinoza and his vehicles and officers arrested him on Sunday.
On Monday, an additional search warrant was served on a storage unit in Milpitas where officers found and seized more than 1,000 pounds of illegal fireworks.
In 2017, Espinoza was arrested along with his 18-year-old son on felony charges of possession of illegal fireworks and since 2002 has had a number of felony convictions including burglary and grand theft as well as a history of domestic violence against members of his family. Espinoza has also been an activist for the Alviso community in opposing development projects.
Last month, illegal fireworks stored at a Public Storage facility in San Jose fueled a massive fire at the site. Two weeks later, police arrested two men and said investigators had seized more than 38,000 pounds of illegal fireworks.
Espinoza was booked at the Santa Clara County Jail and was being held on $1,000,000 bail.
People with information about the case were asked to contact Officer Ells #4592 of the San José Police Departments Metro Unit via email at 4592@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4044.