SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Grand jury indictments have been handed down against
34 defendants accused of openly dealing fentanyl, methamphetamine and crack
cocaine in the East Village neighborhood, it was announced today.
"Operation Street Sweeper" was conducted last September and October
in areas that San Diego police identified as hotspots for drug sales, including
16 and 17th streets, K and C streets and Imperial Avenue and Broadway.
Surveillance and undercover drug purchases conducted throughout the
operation led to the recent indictments, as well as the arrests of 23 of the
defendants in East Village last Thursday, according to the San Diego County
District Attorney's Office.
"This operation reflects a coordinated, proactive law enforcement
response to the community we serve, with the goal of improving the quality of
life in a downtown area that continues to face public safety challenges," San
Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement.
"The East Village community deserves to be safe and not have their
families subjected to open drug dealing and associated crime. This operation
targeted the drug dealers that were selling toxic drugs like fentanyl,
methamphetamine, and cocaine base. It's clear that the heightened drug sales
are also the reason we have heightened drug overdoses in the same areas."
The "open-air" drug markets that were the focus of Operation Street
Sweeper not only facilitated drug distribution, but contributed to other
associated crimes in the surrounding area, prosecutors said.
The indictments charge the defendants with crimes related to drug sales and possession.
Operation Street Sweeper was conducted by San Diego Police, the
Homeland Security Investigations Fentanyl Abatement Suppression Team, and with
assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting three
additional defendants connected to the case.
"The residents of East Village have long asked for more enforcement
on drug-related offenses and Operation Street Sweeper did just that," said San
Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.
"With this operation, we targeted open drug use and narcotic sales
occurring in East Village, something children and families walked by every day.
With our law enforcement partners, we were able to have a major impact on the
quality of life in downtown San Diego."
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