California Authorities Seize Enough Fentanyl in San Francisco to Kill Its Population Three Times Over
Governor Newsom’s office reported that more than 4 kg of fentanyl were seized in San Francisco since May, enough to cause fatal overdoses in more than 2 million people.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that the State Highway Patrol seized enough fentanyl in San Francisco in the past six weeks to kill the city’s entire population nearly three times over.
Since the governor launched a public safety partnership between the city and state on May 1, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has seized more than 4.2 kilograms of fentanyl in the Tenderloin neighborhood and the immediate surrounding San Francisco area.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) considers a lethal dose of fentanyl to be 2 milligrams.
One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people, and the amount seized in San Francisco is enough to potentially kill 2.1 million people, according to the press release from Newsom’s office.
The fentanyl seized was found in the Tenderloin neighborhood and immediate area in San Francisco.
“I am proud of the lifesaving efforts of CHP and CalGuard to shut down the Tenderloin poison pipeline and hold drug dealers accountable,” Newsom said in the release. “These early results are promising and serve as a call to action: we must do more to clean up San Francisco’s streets, help those struggling with substance abuse, and eradicate fentanyl from our neighborhoods.”
The CHP also seized more than 957 grams of methamphetamine and made nearly 100 arrests since officers were deployed to the city on May 1. The suspects were arrested for a wide range of offenses, including possession of fentanyl, possession of firearms, driving under the influence and domestic violence.
The newly formed San Francisco Fentanyl Task Force includes 20 National Guard analysts who provided critical analysis on drug trafficking networks.
“As CalGuard continues to map crime syndicate networks, service members have reviewed a significant amount of law enforcement information to assist local agencies in building large-scale cases,” the governor said.
Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States.
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