"All Hands On Deck": Feds step up fentanyl crackdown in San Francisco's Tenderloin
SAN FRANCISCO -- Federal officials announced Thursday that they are getting in on the city's hardline approach to the fentanyl crisis, with the hope that tacking on federal charges will dissuade people from dealing.
Last month, a concerted effort involving the FBI cleared a notorious homeless encampment known for drug activity, with neighbors installing planters to maintain clear sidewalks in its place.
Now, in an unprecedented move, top federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies have initiated "All Hands on Deck," an operation targeting fentanyl dealers and suppliers, particularly in the Tenderloin area.
Ismail Ramsey, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, is spearheading this operation with the collaboration of the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other federal agencies since August.
"Already in the last four months, we've brought federal charges to more than 30 defendants, and this work will continue," Ramsey declared.
Brian Clarke, DEA Special Agent in Charge, emphasized the community's stance: "The community has said loud and clear they are sick and tired of the death and destruction caused by this lawlessness; they want accountability."
Mayor London Breed expressed support for the initiative, underlining the need for multifaceted approaches.
"This is a deadly drug, something that we have never experienced before," she stated. "And what this means, yes, treatment is necessary, compassion, support programs...things that San Francisco has and is known for – but it also means accountability."
Other highlights of the strategy include prosecuting more low-level drug cases in federal court. Already, 40 out of 70 people arrested in this operation have received federal charges.
Officials also plan to randomly choose one day each week where federal prosecutors take on drug dealing cases that would otherwise be handled in San Francisco courts. They also want to fast-track prosecutions, so they're resolved in as little as 3 weeks, as opposed to months.
In the city's Tenderloin, which has long battled issues such as drug dealing and homelessness, one business told CBS News Bay Area that they are seeing results.
Pronto Pizzeria has been a witness to these challenges for two decades.
The manager, who did not want to give out his name, expressed both relief and caution.
"Lately, we've seen a little bit of improvement... it's getting better, but we haven't seen a radical change… a sustainable one," he said.
Despite these positive steps, the manager of the pizzeria remains cautiously optimistic.
"Any initiative that contributes to cleaner streets, safer streets always positive step in the lack of a really, really radical approach that deals with homelessness and the drug use," the manager said.