Undercover Operation Results in Arrests of Dozens of Drug Dealers in East Village
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said today that a grand jury has handed down 23 indictments against 34 defendants openly selling drugs in several locations in San Diego’s East Village neighborhood including the sales of fentanyl, methamphetamine and crack cocaine. [WATCH NEWS CONFERENCE HERE]
San Diego law enforcement completed a two-month operation aimed at dismantling open-air drug markets in the East Village, reducing crime in the area, and increasing public safety for residents. Operation Street Sweeper, conducted from September through October 2025, focused on several locations identified by the San Diego Police Department as hotspots for illegal drug sales, including 16 and 17th Streets, K and C Streets and Imperial Avenue and Broadway.
Last Thursday, 23 of the defendants were arrested during a takedown operation in East Village.
“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,” DA Stephan said. “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 operation was a collaborative effort involving San Diego Police, Homeland Security Investigations Fentanyl Abatement Suppression Team (HSI FAST), with additional support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting three additional suspects 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 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.”
Undercover officers conducted numerous purchases and surveillance operations during the two-month period, targeting solely dealers who were selling substances such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine base (crack cocaine). The coordinated effort aimed not only to disrupt drug distribution but also to reduce associated crimes in the downtown corridor.
The indictments include charges ranging from the sale and possession for sale of these deadly controlled substances. If convicted, defendants face a range of sentences under state law.
“To the people who live and work downtown: the adults are back in charge,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.
Law enforcement said partnerships are key in addressing the increase in crime seen in the area.
“HSI’s FAST is a collaborative task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies focused on combatting the smuggling, distribution, and sale of deadly synthetic drugs in our communities,” said Kevin Murphy, a Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations. “Operation Street Sweeper demonstrates the success we can achieve when we work together to conduct impactful investigations and make our communities safer.”
Evidence to the grand jury was presented by Deputy District Attorneys Lauren Wake and Edith Leon, prosecutors from the District Attorney’s Major Narcotics Division.
