3 men charged with drug dealing in Tenderloin extradited back to SF from Honduras

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- "If you flee from justice, if you think you can hide - you are wrong."

A strong message from the Northern District of California Department of Justice.

On Tuesday morning, federal officials announced that they had extradited three Honduran nationals back to San Francisco.

The men face federal felony charges for the distribution of drugs such as meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood.

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"We've been laser focused on mapping the threats, identifying the criminal drug networks in the Tenderloin and developing information on those members wherever they are around the globe," said special agent Brian Clark.

The arrests mark a major escalation in San Francisco's attempt to crack down on the drug crisis unfolding on the city's streets.

This operation was a collaboration of local, federal and international partners.

Last year, over 800 people died of accidental overdoses here, and city officials have made addressing the problem a top priority.

"We are not going to tolerate the things that have been happening over the past few years. And I want that trend to continue," said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

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Jenkins has vowed to clean up the Tenderloin since taking office.

During an interview with ABC7 News last month, she touted the work her office has done in partnership with other law enforcement agencies.

"I think we still have a great deal of work to do in the Tenderloin. I don't think that we can celebrate just yet," Jenkins said.

A sentiment shared by DOJ officials on Tuesday - who said these three arrests are just the beginning.

"These are not the only extraditions that we are working on. So people should know there are still ongoing investigations and extraditions requests that are being made and we will continue to pursue those," said U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey.

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