SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - San Francisco police has seized nearly 270 pounds of narcotics so far this year, the department announced on Friday.
The seizures total 123 kilograms, or 271 pounds, and include 80 kilograms, 176 pounds, of fentanyl, the opioid responsible for a staggering amount of overdose deaths.
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The seizures come months after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to send the National Guard and the California Highway Patrol to San Francisco to work with the SFPD to combat fentanyl trafficking in the city.
Over 530 people have been arrested by SFPD Tenderloin officers for drug sales so far this year, just a few dozen arrests behind the 566 people arrested for the same crime in 2022.
"I applaud the San Francisco Police Department and all of our public safety partners for their focused work to get fentanyl and other drugs plaguing our communities off the streets," said Mayor London Breed in a press release. "We will continue to build on this momentum to disrupt open-air drug markets and the sale of illegal goods to make San Francisco safe for everyone."
SFPD said it has heightened patrols throughout the city and have been conducting buy-busts, warrant operations and larger narcotics investigations, the department said in a statement.
"The introduction of fentanyl into the city’s drug supply has caused fatal overdoses to dramatically increase in San Francisco in recent years," SFPD said. "The SFPD recognizes that we must take a more aggressive approach to combat the crisis and improve street conditions and public safety."