California seizes enough fentanyl in San Francisco to kill city’s population three times over

Governor's office says over 4kg of drug seized in city since May - enough to cause deadly overdoses of more than 2m people

California law enforcement officials have seized enough fentanyl, in San Francisco alone, to cause the deadly overdoses of more than 2 million people since the beginning of May. The amount, over four kilos, was enough to kill the entire city's population three times over, the governor's office announced on Thursday.

The seizures were made by California highway patrol (CHP) officers and are a part of Gavin Newsom's plan to address the spread of fentanyl, blight and public safety in the city where 268 people died from accidental overdoses in the first four months of 2023, according to a report from the city's medical examiner. All of the fentanyl was found in and around San Francisco's historic and long-embattled Tenderloin neighborhood.