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3w ago

San Diego Takedown Nets 23 Arrests as 37 Are Indicted in East Village Drug Probe

Officials describe a multi-agency undercover effort to curb open-air markets downtown.

District Attorney Summer Stephan, backed by prosecutors and police officials, announced on Monday the results of an undercover operation targeting open-air drug dealing in the East Village. (Courtesy of San Diego County District Attorney’s Office)
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announces two-month illicit drug operation that resulted in dozens of arrests on Feb. 9, 2026.

Overview

  • A grand jury returned cases against 37 defendants following Operation Street Sweeper, with 23 arrested in a coordinated takedown last Thursday.
  • Thirty-four cases in San Diego Superior Court allege sales and possession for sale of fentanyl, methamphetamine and crack cocaine, while three federal indictments include two gun counts and one drug charge.
  • The probe ran in September and October 2025, using surveillance and undercover buys by San Diego police and HSI’s Fentanyl Abatement Suppression Team, with support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
  • Investigators focused on East Village hotspots including 16th and 17th streets, K and C streets, Imperial Avenue and Broadway near Petco Park.
  • District Attorney Summer Stephan and U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said the crackdown aims to reduce overdoses, deter street crime and restore order, noting buyers and users were not targeted.