For about three years, the San Francisco Police Department and the City Attorney's Office tracked incidents of theft, vandalism and physical altercations around the store on Eddy Street. The investigation culminated in a raid that, according to city officials, uncovered a different type of business than what appeared from the outside.
City Attorney David Chiu said the case began after an undercover Department of Public Health inspector discovered illegal tobacco products being sold at the store.
"There was an undercover Department of Public Health inspector who went in, and we discovered they were selling illegal tobacco products, which led us to think there was more that was going on. And I want to thank the San Francisco Police Department for then sending officers in to discover the methamphetamine, the illegal tobacco products, cannabis, a ghost gun, drug paraphernalia," Chiu said.
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In a civil lawsuit, the City Attorney's Office accuses the owners and operators of allowing "the sales, storage and possession of controlled substances." The complaint also alleges the store drew constant activity from drug dealers lingering out front and "attracting large groups of drug users to this area."
Chiu said his office has asked a judge to close the store.
"We have gone to court to ask the judge to shut down this site for a year to ensure that there's a permanent order against any future activities like this," he said.
According to Chiu, his office has successfully sued or forced the closure of 13 other businesses in the past year and a half, all located in the neighborhood described as the center of the city's drug epidemic.
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A worker in the area said they were surprised by the allegations.
"I'm very shocked because I never expect this at all. Some people have two reasons," the person who did not want to be identified said.
Several nearby business owners declined to speak on camera, expressing apprehension after learning what prosecutors say was happening inside the store.
Patrols in the area regularly observe the fallout from the neighborhood's ongoing crisis. A worker with the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, which patrols the area from early morning through early afternoon, described what is seen on a daily basis.
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"I see a lot of nastiness. People poo in the street, people pee in the street, people poo in bottles," said Darrielle Brown of the Tenderloin Community Benefit District. "There is a lot of need. But some people just stuck in their ways."
San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who represents the district, said enforcement actions like the lawsuit, along with a curfew that prohibits liquor stores and smoke shops from operating past midnight, are making a difference for residents.
"I hear every day from residents in the Tenderloin, families, children, immigrants, refugees that are walking to and from school to and from work, and they want to feel safe walking past these corner stores to know that they're not actually participating in the open air drug market," Mahmood said.
The City Attorney's Office is also asking the court to impose a $25,000 penalty against the store's owners and operators as part of the case.