700 pounds of fentanyl seized in San Francisco
A San Francisco police officer talks to someone in the Tenderloin.
SAN FRANCISCO - Roughly 700 pounds of fentanyl have been seized from San Francisco and 500 arrests made, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday, marking one year since the California Highway Patrol and California National Guard were deployed to clean up city streets.
Since May 2023, the CHP have also issued 6,200 citations and recovered 115 stolen vehicles, the governor said.
San Francisco recorded 806 accidental drug overdose deaths in 2023, the highest level the city has ever seen, up from 647 in 2022.
As of March 2024, the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has recorded 61 unintentional drug overdose deaths.
"Over the last year, we have made significant, measurable progress for safety in San Francisco," Newsom said in a statement. "While there is more to do to improve public safety, crime rates are significantly down as we work with our local partners to continue to reverse the tide."
Mayor London Breed said that the operation targeted in San Francisco has made a difference, "but we have more work to do."
Breed added in a joint statement with the governor: "Together we are sending a message at all levels of government that anyone selling fentanyl in this city will be arrested and prosecuted."
Violent crime and property crime are significantly down year-over-year in San Francisco, Newsom's office said.
California has invested $1.1 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety.
Last year, as part of California’s Real Public Safety Plan, Newsom announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state.
Newsom has also concentrated similar efforts in Oakland and Bakersfield.