A massive drug enforcement raid led to the arrest of 86 individuals in San Francisco on Wednesday night as part of the city’s attempt to crack down on open-air drug markets.
The San Francisco Police Department announced on Thursday that an “enforcement operation” by multiple law enforcement agencies led to “the arrest of nearly 90 suspects” and the seizure of more than 1.21 pounds of narcotics at Jefferson Square Park on Wednesday night.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Wednesday’s raid started at roughly 10:30 p.m., as law enforcement officials surrounded Jefferson Square Park. The outlet noted that law enforcement officers arrested people for nearly three hours at the park; however, 60 of the individuals were cited and released from custody. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the other 26 individuals were later booked into the county jail.
“It was a massive undertaking,” San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said, according to KTVU. “So, it’s not going to be something you see every single day. But, you will see this more often, and we’re going to use this as a strategy to deal with this displacement that’s haunted us.”
The San Francisco Police Department shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, of the huge law enforcement raid.
In a post on X, Scott wrote, “Drug-related activity will never be tolerated in Jefferson Square or any other part of the city. Our officers will be out in force conducting operations just like these all over the city. I want to thank our hard-working officers and all the partner agencies that assisted us.”
According to KTVU, Scott explained that almost three dozen of the suspects arrested on Wednesday were previously wanted by law enforcement officials.
“People had warrants already. San Francisco warrants, Alameda County warrants, Marin County warrants, Red Bluff, Emeryville, Clear Lake, Solano County,” Scott said. “The list goes on and on. So, these are people who already [had] been through the court system and were wanted.”
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Following Wednesday’s drug enforcement operation, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins released a statement obtained by KTVU regarding the city’s next steps to crack down on the drug markets.
“If it’s incarceration that they need, then that will be the path that we set the course on,” Jenkins said. “Everybody will have their appropriate consequences. That is what is going on in San Francisco.”
San Fransisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, who was elected in November, shared a picture from Wednesday night’s raid and confirmed that “dozens of arrests” had been made at Jefferson Square Park. The mayor also issued a major warning to anyone selling drugs in San Francisco.
“I want everyone to hear this: if you are selling drugs in this city, we are coming after you.” Lurie tweeted.
