San Francisco busts hidden drug, gambling dens in stores

City officials in San Francisco announced last Thursday that authorities have uncovered a network of secret drug and gambling dens operating under the guise of convenience stores in a downtown area long linked to homelessness and illicit activity.

According to City Attorney David Chiu, at least nine such locations have been shut down or sued over the past 18 months in the Tenderloin, News.Az reports, citing Fox News.

He said the establishments were involved in a wide range of illegal activities, including unlawful gambling operations, drug sales, illegal firearm possession, trafficking in stolen goods, and violations of the city’s Nighttime Safety Ordinance, which restricts late-night retail operations to curb crime.

“These convenience stores were magnets for drug activity, and in some cases, the stores were selling illegal drugs themselves,” Chiu said.

Authorities said police uncovered illegal gambling operations at the locations, seizing multiple slot machines—up to 11 at a single store—along with money-counting machines. Officers also confiscated large amounts of cash, including more than $17,000 from one establishment.

During one search, officers discovered methamphetamine hidden beneath a display shelf. Other raids led to the seizure of cannabis, vape cartridges, and hundreds of glass pipes and Brillo pads, items commonly associated with the use of methamphetamine and crack cocaine.

Investigators also recovered weapons from the stores, including a firearm with a loaded magazine, a high-capacity Glock magazine, two additional pistol magazines, and other ammunition.

Officials said the stores were used to fence stolen merchandise. Items seized reportedly still carried original price tags from major retailers such as Walgreens, Sephora, CVS, and Target. Among the recovered goods were out-of-state cigarettes and 17 stolen iPhones displayed for sale.

Chiu credited the Nighttime Safety Ordinance, passed in 2024 as a two-year pilot program, with helping authorities identify and shut down the illegal operations. He said he is now seeking to expand the curfews to address similar activity in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, an area known for nightlife, tech offices, and persistent crime and homelessness.

“Most businesses contribute positively to our neighborhoods, but a handful of late-night retail establishments attract significant criminal activity,” Chiu said, adding that the ordinance has given the city additional tools to target problematic businesses.

Supervisor Matt Dorsey said he hopes the effort will help make affected neighborhoods “a less welcoming environment for public drug use, drug dealing, and all the drug-driven lawlessness, including illegal fencing operations that fuel rampant drug use.”

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev