San Francisco – Today Mayor London N. Breed released the following statement about Governor Newsom’s commitment to support addressing fentanyl trafficking in San Francisco. The Governor released more details about the partnership between California Highway Patrol, Cal Guard, the San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, which can be read here.
“We are taking aggressive steps to address the fentanyl crisis with both services for those struggling with addiction as well as enforcement to break up open-air drug dealing and hold those who are threatening lives accountable. Our Police Officers have been making arrests and our District Attorney has been aggressive in prosecuting cases against drug dealers who are selling a drug that is driving fatal overdoses in our City. Our local enforcement agencies are committed to this work and we will continue to be aggressive in disrupting the open-air drug markets in our City.
This partnership with the State law enforcement agencies will help us to continue that work and expand our efforts. I want to thank Governor Newsom for his commitment to San Francisco and for listening to our residents, workers, and businesses that have been calling for more support. San Francisco welcomes this support for more enforcement.”
San Francisco’s Work to Address the Fentanyl Crisis
80% of the overdose deaths so far this year in San Francisco are fentanyl-related, which is why San Francisco has prioritized enforcement of fentanyl dealers, particularly in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods.
- Since January, SFPD has made more than 300 arrests for possession with intent to sell in the Tenderloin and South of Market areas.
- The amount of fentanyl seized in the first quarter of 2023 increased by over 150% year over year in 2022.
- Compared to the same period in 2021, the City has seen an increase of the amount of fentanyl seized by over 450% this year so far.
The District Attorney’s Office has prioritized the prosecution of high-level dealers and are working closely with SFPD to file narcotics sales cases.
- Between July 2022 and April 2023, the District Attorney’s Office filed 638 felony narcotics sales cases, which is a 90% filing rate.
- 517 individuals were arraigned between July 8, 2022 and April 20, 2023 for felony narcotics, representing an 80% increase compared to the same time period by the previous administration.
The work between SFPD and the DA’s office has been essential at ensuring accountability. For example, on Tuesday, police seized 5 kilos of fentanyl as part of a single arrest, enough to save nearly 2.5 million lives. Today, the District Attorney announced multiple felony charges against that individual.
San Francisco also continues to prioritize treatment and services for those struggling with addiction. This includes the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s (SFDPH) work to implement the City’s Overdose Prevention Plan, a four-part strategy to bring down overdoses, by expanding access to substance use treatment and services, doubling the distribution of naloxone in the next three years, increasing social support for people at risk of overdose, and improving the conditions in communities where drug use occurs. Examples of this work include:
- Over the past two years, SFDPH has opened almost 350 residential care and treatment beds, in addition to the existing 2,200 beds.
- This includes the recent opening of a 70-bed residential step-down facility in Treasure Island for people transitioning out of treatment programs.
- SFDPH has also been widely increasing access to medications for opioid use disorder, namely buprenorphine and methadone.
Mayor Breed’s press conference livestream may be viewed here.