San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed and San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott today announced the City’s multi-agency crackdown on drug markets in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods has led to over 3,000 arrests and the seizure of roughly 200 kilos of narcotics over the past year.
On May 29, 2023, Mayor Breed launched the Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC), activating public safety resources across San Francisco to address the growing fentanyl crisis and deteriorating street conditions in focused areas common for rampant drug dealing and use. DMACC has brought together agencies across local, state, and federal government to disrupt drug dealing, public drug use, and illegal fencing of stolen goods.
The DMACC serves as a centralized operational hub that prioritizes enforcement operations, while the City’s ongoing street outreach teams continue to work aggressively to connect people to treatment, shelter, and care.
The San Francisco Police Department has been a driving force behind the enforcement efforts, addressing the challenges in phases that have shown significant progress, and today launched a new public dashboard with weekly arrest and drug seizure statistics. In just the first year, SFPD alone:
- Seized 199 kilos of drugs seized (since May 29, 2023)
- Fentanyl – 89.9 9 kilos
- Methamphetamine – 48.2 kilos
- Cocaine – 15.5 kilos
- Heroin – 8.39 kilos
- Other – 36.6 kilos
- Made 3,150 arrests (since May 29, 2023)
- Dealers – 1,008
- Users – 1,284
- Warrants/Other – 858
“We have brought unprecedented levels of coordination to tackle the drug markets on our streets and we are not letting up,” said Mayor London Breed. “The partnerships we put in place are getting fentanyl out of our neighborhoods and with new technology being deployed and more officers joining our ranks, our efforts will only grow stronger over the coming year. I’m grateful for all of the officers, deputies, and agents working to support our neighborhoods that deserve safe and clean streets free from drug dealing and use.”
SFPD’s initial deployment focused resources along 7th Street near Mission Street and Market Street near United Nations Plaza, where dealers and users openly congregated. The latest phase focuses police and other city resources around United Nations Plaza and the San Francisco Public Library in the nighttime hours. Police have made hundreds of arrests and seized large quantities of narcotics in these recent nighttime operations.
"Our officers have made tremendous progress over the last year in dismantling San Francisco's pernicious drug markets," said Chief Bill Scott. "We will continue to increase our efforts in making arrests and seizing these poisonous drugs off our streets. Anyone who sells or brazenly uses narcotics in San Francisco will be arrested and held accountable for their behavior."
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has prioritized prosecuting drug dealers to address public safety challenges involving open-air drug dealing in San Francisco. Recently, the DA’s Office reported:
- As of May 25, 2024, the District Attorney’s Office has been presented with 394 felony narcotics cases and filed 344 cases this year.
- In the same time period, there have been 101 felony narcotics convictions and 70 guilty pleas to another case.
“The DMACC affords city agencies and their leaders the opportunity to come together with community stakeholders to have, often difficult, conversations about how to solve the most critical issues facing San Francisco,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “Our continued progress will rely upon our ability to build consensus and deploy effective new strategies that will promote the recovery of both individuals and communities. My office is committed to partnering with all other law enforcement agencies to close open-air drug markets wherever and whenever they operate in our city and hold brazen drug dealers and others who commit crime accountable.”
Additionally, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office have played an active role in supporting DMACC enforcement operations by making arrests and seizing narcotics while processing inmates in county jail. State and federal partners including the California Highway Patrol (CHP), California National Guard, Drug Enforcement Agency, and United States Attorney’s Office have also significantly aided the SFPD’s efforts. Yesterday, Governor Newsom and the CHP announced the seizure of more than 5 million fentanyl pills statewide since January as part of the state’s Counterdrug Task Force operation.
“The progress made with DMACC has been significant and tangible. DMACC is not just about enforcement and removing drugs, weapons and illegal goods from our streets, it is about holding people accountable for their behaviors that affect the safety of the community,” said Sheriff Paul Miyamoto. “It is about accountability to themselves as individuals, and an approach to the fentanyl crisis, showing users a path to recovery and rehabilitation. Working side by side with multiple jurisdictions and agencies, and through the support of elected officials we’ve met the challenge head on, helping San Franciscans take their streets back.”
Concurrently, Public Works and the Department of Emergency Management have been diligently enforcing illegal fencing laws, managing resources across departments, and helping to keep streets clean and safe. The San Francisco Department of Public Heath and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing have been offering resources to people in need.
“We have seen firsthand the headway made in San Francisco over the past year through the coordinated operation combatting open-air drug markets and illegal street vending,” said Public Works Director Carla Short. “Our street inspectors and street cleaners are on the ground every day working closely with our City partners to create safer, more welcoming neighborhoods for residents, visitors and merchants.”
“The Department of Emergency Management will continue to support the coordination of our public safety partners as they work around the clock to remove dangerous narcotics from our communities,” said Department of Emergency Management Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll. “I want to thank the DEM staff supporting DMACC and the coordinated street response program, especially our 911 Dispatchers who are the first first responders working to keep public safety and emergency medical professionals on the front lines safe.”
DMACC is the result of coordination across different agencies representing local, state, and federal government. While the focus of DMACC is on enforcement against drug dealing, drug use, and illegal fencing to improve neighborhood conditions, it also exists alongside daily and nightly outreach with offers of treatment and shelter for those struggling with addiction and homelessness.
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