SJFD internal emails detail narcotic thefts, exposure of patients to tampered drugs

SAN JOSE FIREFIGHTERS raised internal alarms in 2023 about addictive painkillers that went missing from their paramedic drug inventories, and gave morphine from tampered vials to patients with traumatic injuries, according to email records obtained by San José Spotlight.

The emails indicate Fire Chief Robert Sapien and city leaders knew about a firefighter drug theft crisis more than a year before disclosing it to the public last month, following the April 16 arrest of Fire Capt. Mark Moalem on suspicion of stealing opioids. City officials announced Moalem’s arrest — and their belief that as many as 17 stations were impacted — without disclosing the patient exposure incidents in the 2023 emails.