The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) just announced a major bust in Northern California in which federal agents seized 2,700 pounds of methamphetamine in various stages of production, marking one of the largest drug busts in US history.

We have news this week about a major drug bust that took place on February 27 in Valley Springs, California, in Calaveras County, resulting from a five-month investigation by the DEA's Sacramento office. As the Chronicle reports, the investigation began following an October report of illegal dumping in Calaveras County, and authorities found what they believed to be a significant volume of "byproducts of a drug lab," which ultimately led them to the lab in question.

Eight people were arrested in conjunction with the bust, including one individual who was reportedly on the National Terrorist Watch List. None of the names of the suspects have yet been released.

The seizure of 2,700 pounds of meth, the DEA says, "represents a substantial disruption to the supply chain operating within mountain and valley communities across the region."

"[This] operation demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinated federal, state, and local law enforcement partnerships," said Sheriff Rachelle Whiting of the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, in a statement. "Through collaborative investigative efforts, we were able to significantly disrupt an alleged narcotic trafficking network operating within our communities."

12 firearms and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition was also seized in the operation, as well as 1,900 marijuana plants and over 100 pounds of processed cannabis.

According to a release, the DEA also busted a related lab operation in Turlock, as well as a suspected storage and distribution facility in Modesto.

Photos posted by the DEA appear to show the main lab operating out of a barn-like structure in a rural area.

The eight suspects face charges including manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of chemicals with intent to manufacture methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and felony child abuse.

"DEA is committed to targeting and dismantling Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and individuals distributing methamphetamine and other dangerous poisons causing harm in our communities,” says Special Agent in Charge, Bob P. Beris of the San Francisco Field Division of the DEA, in a statement. “The Sacramento District Office worked relentlessly with multi-agency operations standing shoulder to shoulder delivering significant blows to the cartels and FTOs often linked to violent crimes, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and kidnapping. Our combined efforts are focused on protecting Americans from the deadly poison these FTOs push into our communities.”

It's too soon to say whether the law enforcement crackdown on open-air drug dealing in the Tenderloin and SoMa, ongoing since this summer, has been a success or failure. But some impacts have been apparent, and anecdotally, there may be fewer dealers on the streets.

It's been over five months since Mayor London Breed, Governor Gavin Newsom, and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi all pledged to help stamp out the open-air drug trade in San Francisco and discourage the use of fentanyl. While the effort seems unlikely to address the national scourge of fentanyl addiction — of which San Francisco's epidemic is just one small part — the crackdown effort has perhaps slowed some of the drug trade and made drugs a bit harder to get in the city. Though maybe not by much.

Breed sought funding back in February for SFPD overtime to deal with the drug crisis, and in May the mayor announced, controversially, that officers would begin arresting people for drug use, possession, and public intoxication in an effort to push more people into treatment — an effort that doesn't seem to have worked, at least according to early numbers.

Pelosi announced in early June that a federal-level crackdown was coming as well, and while we don't know of any major stings, the Chronicle now reports that DEA sweeps have been taking place, and federal prosecutors have charged 89 individuals with drug crimes — including 28 in October alone.

June, July, and August saw some 300 arrests of drug dealers by the SFPD and its state and local partners, as the mayor announced last month. Those arrests came as a result of new coordination between the SFPD, SF Sheriff's Office, and the CHP, help that Governor Newsom had pledged back in the spring.

This has contributed to a 32% surge in the number of inmates in the city's jails, which led the Sheriff’s Office to reopen its San Bruno annex last week to accommodate more inmates, as the Chronicle reports.

A full accounting of arrests and prosecutions is still probably months away, but in the short term, one anonymous dealer tells the Chronicle that he's mostly given up dealing and is doing more construction work, in order to avoid arrest. This dealer said he was "scared," and added "You go to the city and it’s empty now."

Federal prosecutors have reportedly been fast-tracking cases, getting low-level dealers out of the neighborhood through stay-away orders, and in the case of undocumented dealers, referring them to ICE for deportation.

The owner of Emperor Norton's Boozeland on Larkin Street, Kevin DeMattia, tells the paper that the end of his block isn't empty, exactly, but the typical gatherings of dealers and clients has dwindled in recent months. (And, he notes to the Chronicle, that dealers seem to be using fireworks to alert each other when cops are present.)

Law enforcement acknowledges that, because of resources, much of their work in the Tenderloin and SoMa is happening in the daytime, so nights are probably their usual free-for-all.

And at least one federal agent seems confident that the sustained, intense crackdown will have some long-term effect — though there's reason to be skeptical, and these crackdowns have happened before.

SF's streets "have never experienced a [law enforcement] surge like this before," says drug intelligence officer Mark Karandang, speaking to the Chronicle. "The sweeps before have lasted a couple of weeks, maybe a month. But this has been going on for the last four months. And it doesn't look like it's going to abate anytime soon."

We await more official numbers from the feds and the city. And likely before then, we will be seeing how the APEC summit and the general sweeps by Secret Service and other agencies further impact where and how the local drug trade is occurring.

Previously: SF Mayor, Police Tout 300 Drug Dealer Arrests In Three Months, 160 Kilos Seized

Photo: Gabe Pierce

An SFPD drug sting operation that resulted in the arrests of 37 people, all of whom are African American, shows "substantial evidence" of racially biased law enforcement according to a federal judge. The Chronicle reports that US District Judge Edward Chen would not dismiss the claims of 12 of those 37 defendants that they were the victims of racist policing during the Safe Schools program, a sweep operation jointly operated by local police officers and federal law enforcement.

“F***ing BMs,” an officer was heard referring in law enforcement shorthand to "black males" while making an arrest. According to court records, another officer filming video told him “Shh, hey, I’m rolling." Yet another officer allegedly referred to black women as "bitches." Finally, video evidence purports to show an officer turn down an offer from an Asian-American woman selling drugs and proceed to arrest a black woman nearby instead.

“The evidence shows there are substantial numbers (and a substantial proportion) of drug dealers in the Tenderloin who are not African American; yet they were not stopped or arrested," said Judge Chen. To make that point, the judge cites police reports showing officers were aware of Latino drug dealers in the area and that 60 non-African Americans were arrested for drug trafficking in the area during the Safe Schools stings but not charged federally under that program. If proven in court, the 12 defendants' police racism claims could provide grounds for the dismissal of the federal charges against them as the charges would constitute civil rights violations.

The Safe Schools police sweeps program took place in 2013 and 2014 targeting drug trafficking near schools in the Tenderloin. Because SFPD officers worked with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, those arrested and prosecuted in these cases faced more severe mandatory sentences. However, Judge Chen rejected claims of discriminatory prosecution. So far no evidence indicates Federal prosecutors knew of discriminatory policing when they filed charges or had knowledge that other, non-African-American suspects might also have been accused of the same crimes.

Pubic Defender Jeff Adachi tells the Chronicle that the ruling “sends a clear message to the government that racial discrimination and selective enforcement by police will not be tolerated.”

Related: Here Are All Of The Ridiculously Racist And Offensive Texts Recently Uncovered In Latest SFPD Probe

Looking to swipe your stash, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is this Saturday. In an effort to "prevent pill abuse and theft,"government, community, public health and law enforcement partners at these sites will be working together to collect expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs that are potentially dangerous if left in the family's medicine cabinet," says the DEA. Furthermore, tossing your pills down the toilet can lead to environmental hazard.

But. As SF Appeal poins out, "Liquid medications, intravenous solutions, needles, inhalers, and patch-style medications will not be accepted, nor will illegal substances such as methamphetamine or cocaine."

You can get rid of your dugs without question and anonymously at most local police stations. Visit dea.gov to find out your nearest drop-off location.

In yet another attempt too harsh SF's buzz, word is the Drug Enforcement Agency is here (as of 4 p.m.) doing a bust. According to an anonymous email, "I just went by [unintelligible] dispensary on Howard and 12th [street] and they are being raided right now by the DEA. My phones down. Get the word out por favor."

There is a cannabis club on Howard, so that's probably the place. More info as it comes in to us.

Update 4:55 p.m.: The raid is happening at Emmalyn's California Cannabis Clinic at 1597 Howard Street. Also, there seems to be some sort of joint protest going on at said club against the DEA. So, you know, leave your baggies at home, crack- and pot-heads.

The Marijuana Policy Project send out the following press release today regarding the raid in progress.

(Check out the press lease after the jump.)

Your weekend just got a little sleepier. Ten locations, including two in San Francisco, were busted today in connection with a methamphetamine distribution setup that went from San Francisco and the Bay Area all the way to Mexico. Federal, state, and local law enforcement. In total 13 people were arrested. According to KGO:

The raids started simultaneously at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning with 200 agents moving in on the ten locations. Law enforcement was in a hurry to execute their search warrants.

"We believe it's responsible for distribution on the streets of up to 20 pounds of methamphetamine per month," says Joseph Schadler, an FBI agent.

"How much is that in street value?" asks reporter.

"A quarter million dollars[ish]," says Schadler.

On the brighter side, those black helicopters will stop spying on you. And you can quit plucking your eyelashes; there really are no radio transmitters embedded inside of them. (...or are there?)

Also, will this affect cocaine distribution? We can't say. Any DEA-knowledgeable readers out there care to tell us what the overlap is with regard to meth and coke retail sales? Will this bust make a dent in powdery substance use here in the Bay Area?

Although a press conference happening this afternoon will tell us all of the gory details, this morning an Oakland drug bust went down. It was one of the largest of its kind in the East Bay, ever. "Biggest drug busts in years," squealed giddy authorities.

At the dewy-fresh hour of 6 a.m., Oakland police officers, Alameda County sheriff's deputies, and agents with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI went on an Oakland-wide spree of busts for heroin trafficking (as well as "cocaine and marijuana, " at least according to this morning's Mornings On 2's.)

It seems, though, that the focus was on tar heroin trafficking from a sole distributor in Central Valley. (Meth, heroin, trailers, unbearable heat -- what fun doesn't the Central Valley have!?)

Federal drug agents raided an East Oakland home growing a lot of mary jane, $3.5 million worth of it, it seems.

Heading over to"10320 Pearmain St. about 4:30 p.m. to check on a resident's well-being," according to the Chronicle (something about a door being left ajar for a few days, claims a neighbor), cops spotted the spiky tips of a marijuana plant and called in the DEA to investigate.

Nancy Botwin would have had that shit off the premises, stat. Dragged the plants out herself in a little Miu Miu dress while sucking on an iced Starbuck's, or something.

Over 3,400 plants were swiped by the DEA. Read more about it here.

Image: shopexit9.com

Hey, did you think that local authorities wouldn't cooperate with federal agents who are out to shut down medical marijuana dispensaries? Think again! Impassioned opinion pieces by Kamala Harris and Board of Supervisor resolutions aside, seems that Lt. Marty Halloran was putting up a police line at the Alternative Relief Co-Op so that agents from the DEA, IRS and Treasury Department could ransack their offices. From Ann Harrison's 'On the Record' blog (she says to look for further coverage in the Bay Guardian):

The Sunset Medicinal Resource Center dispensary at 445 Judah Avenue was also been raided. Smiling and relaxed agents with DEA and Secret Service jackets are clustered around the outside of the dispensary. Agents are removing items from the building in sealed plastic bags. Local resident Robyn Few stood outside the dispensary and said she was outraged. “I thought the city of San Francisco was a sanctuary city and didn’t cooperate with the DEA,” said Few.

Of course, the Chronicle led with the authority's statements that the raids were part of an investigaation into money laundering, not using their new powers to supersede state laws to take medicine away from sick people. Harrison also notes that "The city of San Francisco has suspended the planning and building permits for the Green Cross medical cannabis dispensary at 3420 22nd Street."