This afternoon, San Francisco police officers and agents from the California Military Department raided multiple businesses in the Mission Street and the Tenderloin, seizing 30 gambling machines, over $17,000, suspected narcotics, containers of nitro oxide and weapons.
Four people were arrested in the Wednesday’s operations.
Officers wheeled out more than a dozen gambling machines from two storefronts on Mission Street between 17th and 16th streets: Bart Front Market located at 2071 Mission St. and Dana Enterprise Smoke Shop at 2091 Mission St. Other officers carried out duffel bags, boxes, and brown paper bags loaded with items the police declined to identify.
When asked to confirm that the machines were for gambling, a San Francisco police officer replied, “Do they look like video games to you?”
Onlookers, for the most part, did not appear surprised.
“Everyone knew what was going on there,” said one woman, who said she worked on the block.
Bystanders said the police trucks and vans arrived around 2 p.m., and blocked the eastern side of Mission Street. By 4:45 p.m., the police were gone. Within a few minutes, the street vendors who operate around the 16th Street BART plaza re-emerged, offering bystanders deals on Buchanan scotch and laundry detergent.
Additional information was added to this story.
“Within a few minutes, the street vendors who operate around the 16th Street BART plaza re-emerged, offering bystanders deals on Buchanan scotch and laundry detergent.“
Just say criminals selling stolen goods.
I hope this smoke shops and all of the other smoke shops in The Mission go belly up!