Building on a new partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking in San Francisco, Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a multi-agency enforcement operation and assigned California Highway Patrol ?CHP? and the California National Guard ?CalGuard? to improve public safety in the city.
Thus, the Governor and Attorney General of California, Rob Bonta, also announced that the California Department of Justice ?CADOJ, for its acronym in English? intends to provide expertise and legal assistance in prosecuting complex, multi-jurisdictional cases related to the operation.
The joint operation will serve as a collaborative effort among various agencies, including CADOJ, CHP, CalGuard, the San Francisco Police Department ?SFPD? and the San Francisco District Attorney's Office ?SFDA?.
In turn, this operation will focus on attacking the fentanyl trade, disrupting the city's supply of the deadly drug, and holding the operators of drug trafficking networks accountable.
"Those who traffic drugs, weapons and human beings are not welcome in our communities," Newsom said. "This is not about criminalizing people who struggle with substance use, this is about taking down prominent poison peddlers and their connected criminal networks that prey on the most vulnerable and harm our residents."
"While it is true that San Francisco is safer than many cities of its size, we cannot allow rampant crime to continue," he added.
At the time, Attorney General Rob Bonta stressed that the fentanyl crisis is a serious threat to public health and the safety of communities, so addressing this crisis requires a collaborative, multifaceted approach.
“Shoulder to shoulder with our partners in this operation, we stand ready to provide legal expertise and assistance in prosecuting complex, multi-jurisdictional cases and protecting our communities from those who traffic in deadly poison. The California Department of Justice is committed when it comes to protecting California families from the dangers of fentanyl."
For her part, the mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, explained that “the fentanyl crisis is affecting our residents, workers and businesses, and requires that we all work together to interrupt the flow of drugs in the city and at the same time ensure that we have treatment for those struggling with addiction."
As part of this new operation, CHP will strategically assign a new team of law enforcement personnel to proactively enforce the law, with a focus on drug trafficking control in key areas of the city, including the Tenderloin.
In addition to its complementary law enforcement efforts, CHP will provide investigative support to develop sophisticated criminal cases and disrupt the illegal trade in opioids.
In that regard, the CHP will also provide additional specialized expert training in drug recognition and advanced roadside drunk driving control to SFPD personnel to help local law enforcement detect, deter, and prevent crime related to drugs and alcohol in the city.
In a change in operations, San Francisco area CHP units will also provide additional patrol in key areas of the city as workload permits.
CalGuard service members will support analysis of drug trafficking operations, with a particular focus on the disruption and takedown of fentanyl rings in the region that contribute to the current public health and safety crisis.
Similar CalGuard-supported operations across the state last month resulted in the seizure of 4.7 million fentanyl pills and 2,471 pounds of fentanyl powder, with a wholesale value of more than $49 million. combined.
Additionally, as part of today's announcement, the Governor authorized CalGuard to assist the SFPD with non-patrol administrative tasks to enhance law enforcement's ability to address pressing crime-fighting efforts related to this operation.
The transaction announced today is expected to begin its compliance work on Monday, May 1, 2023.
San Francisco has seen an alarming rise in fentanyl-related deaths, with overdose deaths rising more than 40 percent from January to March of this year alone. Fentanyl-related deaths have been largely concentrated in or near the city's Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, where this operation will be focused.
You may be interested in: Public Safety Partnership Announced to Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking in San Francisco
