San Francisco uncovers nine secret drug and gambling dens disguised as convenience stores

San Francisco officials announced past Thursday that the metropolis has uncovered galore concealed cause and gambling dens masquerading arsenic convenience stores, each located successful a notorious downtown vicinity agelong associated with illicit enactment and homelessness.

At slightest 9 specified dens person been unopen down oregon sued implicit the past 18 months successful the Tenderloin, City Attorney David Chiu said. 

He added that the stores engaged successful a scope of amerciable activities, including gambling operations, selling amerciable drugs, possessing firearms, trafficking successful stolen goods, and violating the city’s nighttime information ordinance, which prohibits shops from operating during precocious hours to deter nighttime transgression activity.

"These convenience stores were magnets for cause activity, and, successful immoderate cases, the stores were selling amerciable drugs themselves," City Attorney Chiu said.

BLUE CITIES U-TURN ON DISTRIBUTING DRUG SUPPLIES TO ADDICTS AFTER PROGRESSIVE POLICIES FAIL TO STEM EPIDEMIC

A idiosyncratic experiencing homelessness sleeps connected the sidewalk successful the Tenderloin territory of San Francisco, California, U.S., connected Thursday, April, 14, 2022. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)

According to the announcement, the stores allegedly housed amerciable gambling operations, with constabulary seizing galore slot machines, up to 11 from a azygous location, on with money-counting machines. Law enforcement reportedly seized important amounts of cash, including much than $17,000 from 1 store.

In 1 search, officers recovered methamphetamine hidden beneath a show shelf. Chiu said different seizures uncovered cannabis, vape cartridges, and hundreds of solid pipes and Brillo pads, items commonly utilized to fume methamphetamine and ace cocaine.

Significant weaponry was besides recovered connected the premises, including a firearm with a loaded magazine, a high-capacity Glock magazine, 2 further pistol magazines, and different ammunition.

DEM GOVERNORS SUDDENLY CRACK DOWN ON CRIME AS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD THREATS LOOM

Homeless radical devour amerciable drugs successful an encampment on Willow St. successful the Tenderloin territory of downtown connected Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 successful San Francisco, CA.  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Authorities said the convenience stores were utilized to obstruction stolen goods. Officers reportedly seized merchandise inactive bearing archetypal terms tags from large retailers specified arsenic Walgreens, Sephora, CVS and Target. Specific contraband included out-of-state cigarettes and 17 stolen iPhones displayed for sale.

Chiu touted the Nighttime Safety Ordinance, a legislative measurement passed successful 2024 arsenic a two-year aviator programme aimed astatine disrupting amerciable activity. He said helium is present seeking to grow the curfews to further combat transgression successful San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, a densely populated country known for its nightlife, tech offices and a past of transgression and homelessness.

At the intersection of Leavenworth and Golden Gate Streets radical each locomotion to enactment and bent retired successful the Tenderloin vicinity of San Francisco, California Wednesday January 26, 2022. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"Most businesses lend positively to our neighborhoods, but a fistful of late-night retail establishments, similar the ones we person unopen down, pull important transgression activity," helium said. "The nighttime information ordinance has been adjuvant successful putting these stores connected our radar and giving america further tools to unopen down problematic businesses. "

Supervisor Matt Dorsey said helium hopes the neighborhoods volition yet go "a little welcoming situation for nationalist cause use, cause dealing, and each the drug-driven lawlessness, including amerciable fencing operations that substance rampant cause use."