Over 9 million lethal doses of fentanyl seized in San Francisco during 2023

(The Center Square) - The California Highway Patrol has seized over 40 pounds of fentanyl in the 10-block radius of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood since May 1, 2023, according to Governor Gavin Newsom's office.

That is nine million lethal doses worth of fentanyl that have been seized since the state embarked on its joint public safety partnership with the City of San Francisco.

In that span, CHP has issued over 4,468 citations, resulting in 428 arrests for illegal activity.

“We’re cleaning up San Francisco’s streets," Newsom said. "Working alongside our local and federal partners, the CHP is seizing more drugs and more illegal guns and providing the safety and security every Californian deserves.”

The San Francisco operation features deployments of multiple teams of officers in Tenderloin and its surrounding areas. Governor Newsom announced the state was doubling its CHP officer presence in San Francisco in June and creating a joint law enforcement task force to investigate opioid-related deaths and poisonings.

Plus, CHP contributes to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s “Operation Surge” and other locally-led operations against drug traffickers.

The operation in San Francisco is a collaborative effort, with help from the California National Guard (CalGuard), the California Department of Justice, the San Francisco Police Department, and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

"The joint effort is focused on improving public safety, targeting fentanyl trafficking, disrupting the supply of the deadly drug in the city, and holding the operators of drug trafficking rings accountable," a release said.

The operation is part of Newsom's Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis. The Plan includes expanding CalGuard-supported operations that contributed to a 594% increase in fentanyl seized, and $1 billion spent statewide to crack down on this problem.