Almaden Resident
News
Police sting nets copper linked to San Jose thefts
By Stephen Baxter
A recycling shop set up by police in Santa Clara recovered 14 tons of stolen copper since April 2007, along with 40 stolen vehicles, 74 guns and a pile of drugs that suspects sold to police. Authorities say some of the copper and other stolen items came from San Jose neighborhoods, but they could not elaborate because of an ongoing investigation.
On Jan. 23, San Jose and Santa Clara police held a news conference outlining their Jose Clara Co-op, where undercover officers from both departments bought stolen copper and investigated 273 suspects. Their purchases widened to other illicit items, including a device that could detonate bombs using a cell phone.
Steven Gilbuena, a 45-year-old Fremont resident, was arrested on Jan. 22 and is being held without bail on charges of making the cell phone detonator.
San Jose deputy district attorney Ray Mendoza said Gilbuena is the first in the nation to be charged in connection with a cell-phone bombing device.
Mendoza said the low price Gilbuena allegedly charged police "indicates that there is a growing market for these bombs." Police said they bought seven improvised explosive devices in 10 weeks, and they showed reporters video footage of a detonation.
San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis said the departments' "proactive" approach in what was dubbed Operation Meltdown has helped deter copper thefts.
"We've really been hammered here in San Jose. It's a huge problem and it's very expensive for our builders," Davis said.
Police also said they were surprised that of the dozens of clients who sold them goods in more than nine months, only two were legitimate copper sellers. Copper seized in the operation came from retail shops, high-tech factories, construction sites, utility yards and commercial buildings scheduled for demolition or renovation, authorities said.
Police also have been working with local recyclers to keep an eye out for suspicious copper.
Saulman Valani, manager of Ranch Town Recycling at 775 Lincoln Ave., said he is in frequent contact with police and reports metals that he suspects are hot. Valani says he accepts copper, aluminum and brass only from licensed electricians, plumbers and construction workers.
"We are cooperating with [police] right now to keep crime down in this area because it affects everyone around here. People's insurance rates go up, it affects you and me and everybody," he said of the thefts.
Roughly 90 percent of Ranch Town's business is in recycling bottles and cans, and about 10 percent is in metals. Copper prices have held steady from $2.50 to $2.70 per pound since September, falling from $4 in July.
Recyclers have said that incidents of suspicious copper have dropped in recent months, probably because word has spread that police work with metal shops.
Davis said 92 percent of the suspects arrested in the sting had criminal records. Sixty-eight people were arrested before Jan. 22, and 74 were arrested on "arrest day" Jan. 22, he said. The address of the Jose Clara Co-op was not released.
"The message has to go out that this will not be tolerated in our communities," Davis said.