Nearly 800 Arrested for Public Drug Use in San Francisco Since May

San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

A sweeping crackdown on illegal drugs in the city of San Francisco has resulted in nearly 800 people arrested for public drug use and nearly 700 for drug sales since May, according to city officials.

More than 420 wanted fugitives in the city’s Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods were detained, according to a Dec. 19 press release.

“We are bringing together local, state, and federal law enforcement to coordinate and hold those breaking the law in our city accountable,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed in the press release.

The law enforcement agencies also seized 148 kilos of narcotics, including over 80 kilos of fentanyl, according to the report. One kilogram of the synthetic opioid can potentially kill 500,000 people, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Gov. Gavin Newsom also deployed the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the National Guard to support and expand the local crackdown efforts.

According to the governor’s office, the CHP seized more than 40 pounds of fentanyl—enough to make 9 million lethal doses of the synthetic opioid—in a 10-block radius of San Francisco’s Tenderloin district since May 1.

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Located in the flatlands on the southern slope of Nob Hill—between the Union Square shopping area and the Civic Center—the district has one of the highest crime rates in the city, including high rates of drug use, drug dealing, prostitution, assaults, and theft.

“We’re cleaning up San Francisco’s streets,” Mr. Newsom said in a press release Dec. 22. “Working alongside our local and federal partners, the CHP is seizing more drugs and more illegal guns and providing the safety and security every Californian deserves.”

A recent escalation in crime in the downtown area has prompted several businesses—including Nordstrom, Starbucks, and the Hilton—to close.

In addition to the fentanyl seizures, the CHP’s nearly 4,500 citations led to 428 arrests for illegal activity, with more than a dozen crime-linked guns seized, since May.

The state’s operation that started seven months ago included deploying officers in several teams throughout the Tenderloin district and surrounding areas, according to the governor’s office.

In June, Mr. Newsom announced he planned to double the number of CHP officers involved in the effort.

In October, he announced he would form a new joint law enforcement task force to investigate opioid-linked deaths and poisonings in the city. The task force will begin its work next year, according to the governor’s office.

The CHP is also contributing to the DEA’s “Operation Surge” and locally led operations to target drug traffickers.