MH resident had 40 guns at Peak Avenue home
Morgan Hill – A large cache of weapons and drugs was discovered last weekend in the Morgan Hill home of a Mongols motorcycle gang 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, a group law enforcement officials in San Benito County 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 at a residence on Fifth Street 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 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.
On Friday, MHPD officers returned to the residence of Martinez’s friend on Fifth Street, said MHPD Cpl. Jerry Neumayer. They found some bags belonging to Martinez and gained consent to search them.
Among Martinez’s personal property, Neumayer said, officers found body armor, 100 hypodermic needles, items with the Mongol gang logo, more nunchakus, another homemade weapon, packing material used for selling narcotics and two scales.
Neumayer said the District Attorney would likely attach special enhancements to the original charges.
“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’s 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.”
MHPD Chief Bruce Cumming agreed that motorcycle gangs need watching by police agencies.
“It is noteworthy that this man who was arrested has ties to Hollister,” he said. “Outlaw motorcycle gangs are a very big concern of ours. People should take outlaw motorcycle gangs very seriously. These outlaw gangs traverse between the three cities every day; it is important that our police departments maintain a free flow of information, that we work together and let each other know what’s going on with criminals like these. The fact that Hollister cancelled the Fourth of July rally for this year is indicative of the level of danger possible.”
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.
Staff Writer Marilyn Dubil contributed to this report.
