New Zealand Customs agents discovered an unclaimed backpack filled with methamphetamine, and it seems to have been a special delivery from San Francisco.

The bag was intercepted at Auckland International Airport on Saturday, June 14, having arrived on a flight from San Francisco. As New Zealand Customs explained in a Facebook post, the bag was "referred to Customs by border partners who noticed some inconsistencies in x-ray imaging."

Customs agents found a vacuum-sealed package inside the bag, and the contents then tested positive for meth.

It seems likely the bag can be traced to whichever passenger checked it, but the situation is apparently under investigation.

"Customs continues to work closely with our border agency colleagues to disrupt the organised criminal groups behind these drug importations," says Chief Customs Officer, Tracy Henderson, in a statement. "Border agencies work swiftly to investigate any suspicious activity through our airport. It’s the sharp instincts of skilled frontline officers that continue to stop illicit drugs from making it into our communities."

It's not clear what flight was associated with the bag — both Air New Zealand and United Airlines fly to Auckland out of SFO.

Last month, a Southern California woman was arrested at SFO for allegedly trying to smuggle 151 pounds of marijuana on a flight to Frankfurt, Germany in multiple roller bags.

A 29-year-old man who was allegedly in possession of methamphetamine and was seen lighting things on fire in a park Monday morning was arrested, and he may be linked to multiple fires in the Outer Richmond, two of which destroyed playgrounds.

San Francisco police are investigating whether 29-year-old Joseph Martinez is the sole culprit in a string of arson fires this month in the Outer Richmond. Martinez was taken into custody Monday around 1:30 am after plain-clothed officers observed him "igniting objects" while walking around Sutro Heights park, in the area of La Playa and Balboa streets.

The officers later "observed a large active working fire," and after canvassing the area, located and arrested Martinez, and he was booked into SF County Jail on "numerous charges."

As the Chronicle reports, those potential charges include arson, possession of an incendiary device with the intent to set fire to a structure or forest land, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Martinez hasn't yet been accused of the string of arsons that have been plaguing the Outer Richmond neighborhood, but those charges could be coming next. "SFPD is aware of several recent suspicious fires in the Richmond District, and we are continuing to work with the San Francisco Fire Department in our joint Arson Task Force to investigate these cases," the department said in a statement following Martinez's arrest.

Those suspected arsons include one that occurred in the early hours of May 1 on the 4500 block of Anza Street, and that fire destroyed a shed outside Lafayette Elementary School containing event decorations and school spirit materials.

A smaller fire occurred on May 10 at a playground at Lincoln Park, causing some damage to a slide.

The same arsonist appears to have returned to Lafayette Elementary on May 18, setting a larger fire that burned and melted a play structure and surface materials. And then, once again, a fire broke out three days later at the playground for older children at Lincoln Park, destroying around 2,500 square feet of climbing equipment, slides, and surface materials.

The SF Department of Rec and Parks estimates it could take six months to restore the playground and its equipment.

Lafayette Elementary School, Lincoln Park, and Sutro Heights Park, where Martinez was arrested Monday, are all in the same 10-block radius.

Photo of the damage at Lafayette Elementary School via Hallie Albert

A traffic stop in Solano County led to the arrest of a Vallejo man and subsequent search of his home, which led to the discovery a lot of meth, an endangered baby spider monkey, and two live rattlesnakes.

We don't rag on Vallejo as much as we used to here at SFist, but some crazy stuff still happens in that particular town with a certain amount of frequency, and we can't help but call out the trend.

The latest: A 50-year-old Vallejo man, Clifford Vincenty, was arrested last month following a traffic stop in unincoporated Solano County. Sheriff's deputies executed a search of Vincenty's vehicle and allegedly discovered a half-pound of methamphetamine.

According to court documents obtained by Bay Area News Group, following Vincenty's April 6 arrest, county vice detectives and the Sheriff’s Enforcement Team served a search warrant at his Vallejo home and discovered a whole lot more meth — another pound — around $2,000 in cash, as well as three illegal pets, one of them an endangered species.

That endangered species is an approximately 18-month-old female spider monkey named Violeta, who has been remanded to the care of the veterinary staff at the Oakland Zoo. The zoo came to Violeta's rescue on Thursday.

The other animals found were two live rattlesnakes that were being kept in a 20-gallon unsecured tank in an outdoor area.

It is illegal to keep any primate as a pet in California, but Bay Area News Group notes the special illegality of keeping a spider monkey.

"Infant spider monkeys in the pet trade are often the result of their mothers and family members being shot down from the trees to capture the baby," says Colleen Kinzley, VP of Animal Care, Conservation, and Research at Oakland Zoo, speaking to the news group. "Many times, the baby is killed or injured due to the fall. Once they enter the pet trade, these animals typically do not receive a proper diet or adequate socialization with other monkeys, which can lead to lifelong physical and mental health issues. It is crucial to raise awareness about the threats these animals face and to take action to end this deadly trade."

The zoo says that Violeta will be examined and cared for, and so far she seems to be in good health. Ultimately she will be relocated to an accredited zoo or sanctuary where she can join a troop of other spider monkeys.

The zoo cautions that animals kept illegally, like Violeta, often don't receive proper nutrition or the socialization they need to lead a healthy life.

The snakes will be released into the wild somewhere far from human residences in the Vacaville area, by local outfit JW Reptile Rescue.

Vincenty has been charged with possession of a controlled substance for sale, but no charges have been filed so far regarding the animals.

"This operation demonstrates our commitment to disrupting illegal drug activity in Solano County,” said Undersheriff Brad DeWall in a statement.

The investigation remains ongoing, and the Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information related to this case to contact the Solano County Sheriff’s Office Investigation tip line at (707) 784-7050.

The California Highway Patrol conducted a routine traffic stop in I-680 in Concord, and a drug-sniffing dog indicated there may have been narcotics in the vehicle. And were there ever, as the CHP seized nearly 100 pounds of suspected methamphetamine from the car.

We are just learning about this today, though the incident happened two weeks ago. The California Highway Patrol notes in a Wednesday Facebook post that on the morning of August 29, they pulled over a white GMC van on I-680 near Marina Vista Road in Concord for some sort of moving violation. Per the post, “the officer began to suspect the driver may be involved in additional criminal activity,” and a drug-sniffing KP unit was brought on the scene.

As KPIX reports, the dog barked, and the man had nearly 100 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in the vehicle.

Needless to say, the vehicle’s driver was arrested on the spot and taken into custody. That driver, 47-year-old Magdaleno Quezada Garcia of Concord, has been charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, and transportation of methamphetamine for sale.

Obviously, the image above CHP posted to Facebook is an all-time banger. But we do have to wonder… Is that dog okay?

Per KPIX, Quezada Garcia has been booked in the Martinez Detention Facility with bail set at $2.5 million. He has a court appearance scheduled for September 24.

Related: 23-Year-Old Man Arrested at SFO For Alleged Smuggling of 6 Kilos of Meth to Australia [SFist]

Image: CHP - Golden Gate Division via Facebook

For the last two years, SF General Hospital has been proactively trying to limit ER visits and public episodes among meth users by providing them with an anti-psychotic drug called Olanzapine that’s being called “the next Narcan” for stimulant addiction.

There’s been plenty of discussion of fentanyl’s role in the San Francisco overdose crisis of recent years, and rightly so, as 80% of fatal overdose victims in the city last year had been using fentanyl. But methamphetamine is still the drug that’s landing users in emergency rooms at rates higher than other narcotics. According to a recently published research paper in the International Journal of Drug Policy, 47% of visits to SF General Hospital's Psychiatric Emergency Services department “were related to methamphetamine use.”  

That same study noted that the SF Department of Public Health (SFDPH) started giving repeat meth-using visitors something called “Methamphetamine Assist Packs,” also known as "chill packs" The Chronicle this week examines the effectiveness of “chill packs” for meth users — these “chill packs” actually being four doses of an anti-psychotic drug called Olanzapine (commercially known as Zyprexa), which is normally used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The SFDPH, which has apparently been handing out the drug to meth users for about two years, declined to comment for the Chronicle’s article. But the International Journal of Drug Policy study’s lead author, Dr. Phillip Coffin of SFDPH, has called Olanzapine “the next Narcan” for treating the effects of meth addiction.

The study found that emergency room visits decreased by 32% among those who’d been given the so-called chill packs. The authors concluded that “Methamphetamine Assist Packs were associated with fewer psychiatric emergency visits for six months after receipt, and represent a promising intervention to address acute psychiatric toxicity from methamphetamine.”

In some ways, this was not a proper study. It did not involve a control group, there were no placebos, and no interviews with patients on their use of the pills. Dr. Coffin has stated publicly that he’d like to do proper clinical trials on the topic in the near future.

Related: So-Called ‘Speedball’ Mixtures of Fentanyl and Stimulants Now Account for Most SF Overdose Deaths [SFist]

Image: Raining (talk) via Wikimedia Commons

A man who allegedly stole thousands of dollars of gear from an FBI truck may not have realized the value of the equipment, as his charging documents say he sold a $1,500 ballistics vest from that haul for a $20 bag of meth.

The Bay Area News Group has a report today of a man charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of equipment from an FBI van. The alleged theft happened at 6:45 am the morning of Wednesday, August 7, and per the News Group, suspect Gregory Acosta Alvarez is accused of stealing “dozens of flash bang grenades, a gas launching gun, surveillance equipment and a ballistics vest.”

Acosta Alvarez was reportedly arrested that same day, with most of the equipment being recovered at his nearby hotel room. But the ballistics vest and gas launching gun were not recovered.

That’s because, according to the News Group, “Acosta Alvarez allegedly claimed he traded them to someone for $20 worth of methamphetamine.” The ballistics vest alone is worth an estimated $1,500.

The alleged theft occurred August 7 in SoMa, at 442 Natoma Street between Fifth and Sixth streets. FBI Special Agent Welton Pollard had parked the vehicle there, and surveillance video reportedly caught Acosta Alvarez breaking into and stealing gear from the van, and riding away on his bicycle.

FBI agents were able to locate Acosta Alvarez’s hotel room, approximately a quarter-mile from the scene of the truck theft. They found a defibrillator that had been stolen from the truck (a defibrillator!), along with the grenades and some of the surveillance equipment. But the ballistic vest and the gas gun has already been hawked for some meth, allegedly.

Acosta Alvarez faces federal charges of stealing government property. Though he’s being held without bail at SF County Jail, on charges of burglary, drug possession, grand theft, and trespassing, with some of those charges relating to the FBI truck theft, and others from a previous 2023 arrest. His first court appearance has not been set.

Related: FBI Raids Notorious Bayview Towing Company, the One That Tried to Tow a Moving Car [SFist]

Image: PROVO, UTAH - AUGUST 9: FBI officials unloads the equipment as they process the home of Craig Robertson who was shot and killed by the FBI in a raid on his home this morning on August 9, 2023 in Provo, Utah. The FBI was investigating alleged threats by Robertson to President Biden who is visiting Salt Lake City today and tomorrow. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

It was late Sunday night when a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy came upon a pickup truck with a towing trailer pulled over on a roadside in Petaluma with the driver slumped over the wheel.

The pickup and trailer were parked on the wrong side of the road, going against traffic, and the vehicles' hazard lights were on. "Concerned that the driver was hurt or unconscious, the deputy pulled over and walked to the truck," the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office explains in a release.

The deputy proceeded to to try to wake the driver, and the driver then, as he awoke,  appeared to be reaching for something in the center console. The deputy then ordered the driver and passenger out of the pickup, and as this happened, "a small bag of white crystalline substance" appeared to be left behind near the driver's feet.

This led to the discovery of a loaded .45 caliber pistol stowed near the driver's seat, along with a loaded magazine and extra ammunition, and a large fixed-blade knife.

The vehicle and trailer also allegedly turned out to contain 500 suspected fentanyl pills, and multiple baggies of suspected fentanyl powder, along with a significant quantity of crystal meth.

In total, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office says it seized 244.5 grams of suspected fentanyl and 92.8 grams of suspected methamphetamine.

The driver has been identified as 61-year-old Kayne Enyeart of Alaska, who appears to have a previous felony conviction. Enyeart appears to be a resident of Wasilla, Alaska, and a police blotter suggests he was arrested in December 2017 on suspcion of DUI and resisting arrest.

Enyeart was arrested Sunday by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and booked on eight felonies: felon in possession of a gun, carrying a loaded gun in a vehicle, being a felon in possession of ammunition, possession of narcotics for sale, transporting narcotics for sale, possession of illegal drugs and a loaded gun, possession of a controlled substance for sale, transporting a controlled substance.

His passenger was identified as 52-year-old Deanna Welsh, also of Alaska, and she was cited and released on charges of possessing and transporting narcotics for sale.

"We are proud of the work our deputies do on patrol and are excited to see our narcotics unit up and running this month," the sheriff's office says in a statement.

Photo via Sonoma Sheriff/Facebook

A Los Angeles man was arrested two weeks ago after he was caught by the TSA at SFO trying transport six kilograms of methamphetamine to Australia.

23-year-old Jauan Manuel Paz-Guzman is in the custody of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, after the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Bureau at SFO contacted them about the drugs allegedly found in Paz-Guzman's luggage on June 27.

The luggage was described as "two suitcases full of illegal drugs," and photos from the sheriff's office show multiple wrapped packets of meth, which reportedly totaled six kilograms.

According to a release from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, Paz-Guzman had purchased a ticket for a flight to Australia that day. The drugs were reportedly found through routine TSA screening of luggage.

The San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force responded to SFO after Paz-Guzman's arrest, and assumed control of the investigation from the San Francisco Police Department. This is standard protocol for criminal investigations at the airport — the SFPD handles day-to-day law enforcement at the airport, while the sheriff handles criminal cases.

Paz-Guzman was subsequently booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City on charges of transportation of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, and burglary. The reason for the latter charge was not made clear.

Photo via San Mateo County Sheriff's Office

The Santa Rosa Police Department just arrested a 64-year-old man who they say is connected to a local drug ring, and in his car they say they found four pounds of methamphetamine intended for sale.

Santa Rosa, like multiple corners of the Bay Area, has a persistent meth problem. And Santa Rosa police say they began investigating one drug-trafficking outfit in December that led to a recent arrest and meth seizure.

A suspect who they say is linked to this drug ring, 64-year-old Ronald Lamb of Windsor, was pulled over by police Sunday morning. At the time, Lamb was headed northbound on Highway 101 near Baker Avenue in Santa Rosa.

The reason for the traffic stop is not clear, though it may just be that police were on the lookout for Lamb and his vehicle. They say he was pulled over Sunday "pursuant to a search warrant," and at that point, his vehicle was searched.

Police say they found "approximately 4 pounds of suspected methamphetamine on the passenger floorboard of his vehicle," and Lamb was detained "without incident."

Two more ounces of meth were then allegedly found at a residence connected to Lamb on the 100 block of Mirna Court in Windsor, along with drug packaging materials.

Lamb was subsequently booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance for sale and transportation of a controlled substance for sale.

While four pounds is certainly a significant quantity of meth, this bust pales in comparison to one that Santa Rosa police made in October 2022, in which 73 pounds (33 kilos) of meth was seized. Considering that one dose of meth is around 10 mg, that equates to about 3 million doses.

Photo via Santa Rosa PD

There’s a new version of the old 'speedball' that now substitutes fentanyl for heroin, and the upper/downer mix now accounts for most SF overdose deaths, though many of those victims may just not have known there was fentanyl in their product.

The Chronicle apparently just discovered the age-old hard drug term “speedball” in a new article today, a term that’s actually been around for decades to describe a mixture of cocaine and heroin that brings on a combo upper-and-downer high. It's this speedball combination (also sometimes called “goofball”) that claimed the lives of John Belushi, Chris Farley, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Michael K. Williams.

But the Chronicle’s report covers how people are now using fentanyl to make speedballs, combining that substance with crack cocaine or meth. Though it’s important to note that many of these people may not have been intentionally doing a so-called speedball, but instead were using what they thought was pure cocaine or meth, but was instead contaminated with fentanyl.  

Either way, these combinations of the depressant fentanyl and stimulants like coke or meth now account for most SF overdose deaths. According to the Chronicle's figures, 63% of SF overdose deaths in 2022 showed this combination, and they add “Data from the first half of 2023 suggests the total number and share of fentanyl-plus-stimulant deaths will be higher than ever this year.”

And it didn’t used to be that way. Per the Chron, in 2016, “less than one-third of fatal overdoses” involved fentanyl combined with a stimulant.

But again, that doesn’t necessarily mean that people are intentionally speedballing. We’ve seen many overdose cases involving people who thought they were using cocaine or meth, and were unaware they were actually using fentanyl.

“I think you’re seeing a spike in speedball and goofball ODs now because cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine are all adulterated with fentanyl,” Salvation Army Harbor Light  clinical director Adrian Maldonado told the Chronicle. “And when coke and meth have fentanyl in them, the user gets overwhelmed with the downer."

Anecdotally, heroin users in San Francisco have used stimulants for years during times when they did not have a safe space to crash or nod off — and one fentanyl user speaks to the Chronicle about using the speedball combination with crack to keep from getting his stuff stolen, because, "That little bit of crack cuts the nods."

So to any of you who do use cocaine or meth, we will stress how important (and easy) it is to get fentanyl testing strips. They are available for free at the Community Behavioral Health Services (CBHS) Pharmacy at 1380 Howard Street (hours here), and the above map shows establishments where Fentcheck has free testing strips available. Fentcheck also sells the testing strips online in sets bowls of 20 for parties or public venues, or an envelope of 40 for personal use.

Related: Five Hospitalized For ODs on Christmas After Reportedly Doing Contaminated Cocaine at Japantown Residence [SFist]

Image: SFPD via Twitter

36-year-old Trajordon Svarda pleaded guilty to selling six illegal guns and about 300 grams of meth and ecstasy to an undercover informant, and was sentenced to 52 months in prison, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

If you are selling illegal guns, meth, and ecstasy, it is not likely to end well for you if you are selling them to an undercover informant for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). One San Francisco man has learned that lesson the hard way, as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced in a Tuesday release that they'd won a 52-month prison sentence for 36-year-old San Francisco man Trajordon Svarda for selling guns and drugs to an undercover informant.

The release refers to the undercover individual as a “confidential informant.” And the above tweet from the local U.S. Attorney’s Office refers to that informant as “someone working for @ATFSanFrancisco.” That wording indicates that the confidential informant is not necessarily an undercover agent, but someone clandestinely feeding information to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

According to the release, Svarda pleaded guilty to selling ecstasy to the undercover person in February 2021. He then added guns to the available menu of items the next month, and the ATF determined the gun sold had been stolen. Svarda also admitted to selling that individual lots more ecstasy, meth and guns, including a "privately manufactured AR-style pistol" — in other words, a ghost gun.

“In total, Svarda admitted to selling to the CI over 150 grams of ecstasy, 157 grams of methamphetamine, and six firearms,” according to the federal announcement. “In addition, Svarda admitted that he knew at the time that previously he had been convicted of at least one felony.”

On top of the four years and four months in prison, Svarda was additionally sentenced to three years of supervised release after his sentence ends.

Related: SFPD Finds Large Haul of Guns and Drugs While Arresting Suspected Illegal Gun Suppliers In North Beach [SFist]

Image: @USAO_NDCA via Twitter

A drug test of a toddler experiencing a medical emergency revealed meth in their system, allegedly left out by the baby's caretaker in their home.

A one-year-old baby ingested methamphetamine in a Southwest Berkeley home this week, and had to be hospitalizated.

A passerby flagged down a Berkeley police officer on Monday around 1:30 p.m. in the 2400 block of Fifth Street, reporting that a child was displaying signs of seizing, lethargy, and drifting in and out of consciousness, as Berkeleyside first reported.

Authorities reportedly transported the one-year-old to Children's Hospital in Oakland, where a toxicology exam revealed the presence of methamphetamine in the toddler's urine, raising immediate alarm and prompting a police investigation.

The toddler is improving but still in the ICU, according to Berkeleyside, but police executed a search in the home of 35-year-old Mabel Miranda, the person responsible for the child. (KRON4 identifies her as the baby's mother.) Miranda reportedly admitted to bringing methamphetamine into the residence and leaving traces of the controlled substance on the floor, where the one-year-old had been crawling and had consumed some remnants.

Berkeley police also apparently discovered a loaded firearm, ammunition, and what is suspected to be heroin residue inside a container, prompting them to take Miranda was taken into custody on Monday evening. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has subsequently charged her with one count of felony child endangerment, accompanied by two aggravating factors. She’s reportedly now in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and is pleading not guilty.

RELATED: Woman Allegedly Shoves Meth Into Mouth Of Toddler Playing At People's Park

Image of Children's Hospital Oakland via Google Street View.

People struggling with meth or cocaine addiction can earn up to $599 in gift cards to stay away from the stuff under a news state program, and San Francisco is one of the participating counties.

The New York Times reports today on an innovative, first-in-the-nation program that will pay meth and cocaine users to stay clean. That report details that this pilot program is available to residents suffering from stimulant use disorder (meth or cocaine addiction) in four California counties, but San Francisco is one of them. And a July report from CalMatters notes that Zuckerberg General Hospital is participating, though you do have to be enrolled in MediCal to enroll in this program that pays up to $599 to stay off the stimulants.

“It’s really a brave choice of California to try this against potential backlash and misunderstanding,” California Health Care Foundation associate director Catherine Teare tells the Times. “This isn’t going to solve it,” she adds, “but I think it’s well worth trying.”

As we’ve mentioned before, San Francisco is on pace for its deadliest year ever for accidental drug overdoses. And according to the California Health Care Foundation, meth-related emergency room visits increased 50% between 2018 and 2020. The notion of paying people to stay clean has proven effective, as a 2021 paper published in JAMA Psychiatry found that 80% of such clinically administered programs did reduce drug use.

One does need to be diagnosed with a stimulant use disorder to participate. Once enrolled, you basically pee in a cup to prove you’ve spent the week clean. The first clean test yields a $10 gift card. The value of the card gradually increases to up to $26.50 a week, and recipient max out at $599, because beyond that, it’s taxable income.

The program could cost the state up to $50 million, though the feds are covering the cost.

But why aren’t we doing this for fentanyl, which is causing the largest number of overdose deaths? Because fentanyl is an opioid, and there are targeted, pharmaceutical treatment therapies for opioid addiction. There are no such medical treatments for methamphetamine or cocaine addiction, so the state is hoping the $10-$26 gift cards may prove therapeutically useful.

Related: Someone Died From an Overdose Inside the Mid-Market Whole Foods That Just Closed [SFist]Image: MeNotMeth.org

Photo: Karen Mower/Getty Images

We’re learning there had been a fatal overdose in September at the Whole Foods at Eighth and Market Street that was closed down early this week, with someone who had OD’ed on fentanyl and methamphetamine while in the grocery store’s restroom.

When the highly touted, $12 million “flagship” Whole Foods at Eighth and Market Street’s Trinity Place announced its sudden closure on Monday, a mere 13 months after its celebrated opening, a Whole Foods spokesperson said the closure was “To ensure the safety of our team members.” And that is likely true, though there could be business concers at play as well.

But now just three days after the abrupt and shocking closure, we’re getting a little more backstory on how chaotic things really were at that Whole Foods location.

The Chronicle reports there was a fatal overdose in the Whole Foods bathroom in September, a development we are just learning now, seven months later.

“A man overdosed from fentanyl and methamphetamine and died in the grocery store’s bathroom,” the Chronicle reported Wednesday night. “The 30-year-old man died on the evening of Sept. 20, 2022, from the lethal combination of drugs, according to the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s office.”

The name of the victim has not been made public. But the Chronicle spoke to a regular Whole Foods customer, Sebastian Luke, whom they say “witnessed a body in a sheet being transported out of the bathroom on Sept. 20.” According to the Chronicle, among the many other disturbing incidents he recalled was “About a month ago, Luke said a man began urinating in the store, alarming a staff member who told him to leave.”

“The man replied that he wasn’t finished, Luke said.”

The closure of that Whole Foods in particular is a gut punch, both financially because of the staggering investment made in the historically beleaguered Civic Center area, and just a morale perspective, because it was part of the hoped-for "Mid-Market revival" in a downtown San Francisco struggling to bring back foot traffic.

The revelation of this fatal overdose connects a few dots. We learned last November that this particular Whole Foods was requiring a store receipt to use their bathroom (which by the way, they apparently do this in other cities too). This would have been about two months after the overdose incident, and it’s fair to guess there’s some correlation there. Additionally, the store had just cut back its evening hours in October, closing at 7 p.m. instead of 9 p.m., about a month after the overdose incident.

Whole Foods did say in their statement about the closure that it was "for the time being,” and that “If we feel we can ensure the safety of our team members in the store, we will evaluate a reopening of our Trinity location.” That indicates at least some possibility the store will reopen at a future point.

The district’s supervisor Matt Dorsey quickly introduced a San Francisco Police Department Full Staffing Act proposal the very next day after the Whole Foods closure (he was on CNN that morning talking about it). It’s not clear whether this was to any degree at Whole Foods’ behest, or whether if passed, Dorsey’s measure would succeeed in getting the store to reopen. But there seems to be something of a full-court press to persuade Whole Foods to someday reopen the store, and the fatal overdose revelation illustrates the challenges they would consider before doing so.

Related: Mid-Market Whole Foods Closing Due to Terrible Street Conditions Outside [SFist]

Image: Jason F. via Yelp

Some meth binges in the North Bay are going to have to be cut short because authorities just arrested a guy and seized a massive stash of crystal that was surely headed for the street.

A 28-year-old Santa Rosa man who already had two outstanding warrants for his arrest, Jose Vega Sanchez, was arrested Thursday in a raid on a residence. Santa Rosa PD served a warrant at a home on the 1000 block of Guaymas Court at 12:45 p.m. Thursday, as KRON4 reports, and they found Vega Sanchez in possession of two firearms and 33 kilos — about 73 pounds — of methamphetamine.

For perspective, if a single dose is 10 mg, that's in the ballpark of 3.3 million doses.

Also, for perspective, a recent bust of a drug dealer in San Francisco's Outer Sunset found 4.6 pounds of meth.

One of the firearms Vega Sanchez allegedly had was previously reported stolen, police said.

Vega Sanchez was already wanted for a DUI, and for a probation violation and possession of a loaded firearm in public.

He was booked on charges of possession of a controlled substance intended for sale, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and grand theft of a firearm.

He's being held without bail.