Federal law enforcement officials are ramping up their crackdown on the drug problem in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, expanding on their "All Hands on Deck" initiative.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California along with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI say they have recently "ramped up nighttime operations" in the Tenderloin -- specifically going after drug dealers after hours.
So far the operation has seized more than 5 pounds of meth, 11 pounds of fentanyl and more than $20,000 in cash, resulting in more than 20 federal criminal complaints.
In November, the feds announced their All Hands on Deck approach by putting a special focus and more resources into cracking down on drug crimes in the Tenderloin. Since then, a number of drug dealers have been sentenced and some have been extradited back to their home country of Honduras, the U.S. Attorney said.
"As we stated last November, our objective is to change the equation for drug dealers," Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp said in a video statement. "As the consequences of choosing to supply drugs in the Tenderloin become more severe, dealers and suppliers are going to have to reassess their risk. Is it worth it? We aim to show the answer is no."
The crackdown also has included arrests of street dealers and suppliers of fentanyl near federal buildings in San Francisco, cracking down on money services operations, targeted wiretaps, arrests and searches throughout the greater Bay Area.
Federal authorities say they are fast-tracking federal cases and adopting state cases with the operation.
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