In its first six weeks of operation, the California Highway Patrol ?CHP? seizes enough fentanyl in San Francisco, more than 4.2 kilos in the Tenderloin and the immediate surrounding area of San Francisco, enough to potentially kill 2.1 million people, nearly triple the city's total population.
The authority also seized more than 957 grams of methamphetamine, 319 grams of cocaine and 31 grams of heroin, in addition to making 92 felony and misdemeanor arrests, including charges related to possession of fentanyl, illegal possession of firearms, driving under influence and domestic violence.
This was announced this Thursday by the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, who noted that according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, a lethal dose of fentanyl is 2 mg.
“I am proud of the lifesaving efforts by CHP and CalGuard to shut down the Tenderloin poison pipeline and hold drug dealers accountable. These early results are promising and serve as a call to action: We must do more to clean up San Francisco's streets, help those fighting substance use, and get fentanyl out of our neighborhoods."
As CalGuard continues to map crime syndicate networks, service members have reviewed a significant amount of law enforcement information to help local agencies build cases on a large scale.
In that regard, more metrics that quantify the impact of CalGuard are expected to become available in the future as cases develop.
Newsom previously ordered state agencies to take other initial steps to improve public safety and address the blight in San Francisco.
Among the efforts, the Alcoholic Beverage Control ?ABC, for its acronym in English? which is developing a plan to deploy additional resources to address blight issues in the Tenderloin, including loitering and graffiti, surrounding liquor stores, gas stations and markets that hold ABC licenses.
In addition, Caltrans said it is increasing its graffiti removal efforts, upgrading and replacing signage, and increasing maintenance and beautification measures in high-traffic corridors.
In turn, staff have been assigned to help facilitate the development of San Francisco's strategic plan to address the city's challenges with open-air drug markets.
Launched by Governor Newsom on May 1, 2023, the San Francisco Joint Public Safety Operation serves as a collaborative effort among multiple agencies, including CHP, CalGuard, California Department of Justice, San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco District Attorney.
The operation focuses on attacking the fentanyl trade, disrupting the city's supply of the deadly drug and holding the operators of drug trafficking networks accountable.
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