San Jose Captain Faces Drug Theft Charges

A San Jose fire captain is facing criminal charges related to the theft of drugs from city firehouses. Fire Captain Mark Moalem was arrested April 15, 2025 for burglary, child endangerment, and various narcotics violations.

Captain Moalen is suspected of stealing opioids from as many as 17 firehouses. The charges follow an audit of controlled substances by the San Jose Fire Department..

According to KRON4, the fire department should have been well aware of Captain Moalen’s prior history with drug addiction. In 2013, he was found unconscious inside a bathroom while on duty with an empty syringe and vial containing morphine next to him. KRON4 cites an investigative report from the California Emergency Medical Services Authority into this incident.

Adding to the current difficulties, San Jose Fire Fighters IAFF Local 230 have blamed budget cuts imposed by the city council for allowing this to happen. Those cuts led to the elimination of an EMS field supervisor position last July, whose responsibilities included managing the inventory of controlled substances and investigating discrepancies. Nine months after the opposition was eliminated, the drug thefts were discovered. Here is more on Local 230’s concerns.