SF corner store accused of openly selling meth as city’s drug epidemic hits new low

A shop in downtown San Francisco has been accused of selling meth, drug paraphernalia and illegal tobacco products and is facing closure as the city deals with a drug epidemic.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said the “corner store didn’t just promote drug activity, it became the drug dealer,” in a press release announcing the lawsuit against the shop located in the Tenderloin part of the city.

The suit was filed against both the owners and operators of the convenience store located at 401 Eddy Street. The current owner has leased the store since at least February 2023. 

“Due to the sale of methamphetamine, marijuana, illegal tobacco, and drug paraphernalia occurring at Corner Store, the property has attracted criminal and nuisance activity to the surrounding community, necessitating police intervention,” it read.

In the span of 2 years, San Francisco Police officers responded to more than a dozen calls for vandalism, theft, “physical altercations, and arrests in and around the shop,” the city alleged.

During a raid in November 2025, police said they seized more than 48 grams of methamphetamine, nearly 5 pounds of marijuana, “a green polymer 80 ‘ghost gun’ handgun, and dozens of illegal tobacco products,” along with “glass pipes and other drug paraphernalia,” per the complaint.

The city said during one undercover operation officers uncovered proof the shop was selling tobacco products not legal for sale in the US.

The city now wants a judge to shut down the shop for “one year and impose civil penalties of $25,000 against each defendant to prevent defendants from continuing to maintain a nuisance at Corner Store.”

The complaint alleged that the shop “contributes to criminal activity in the Tenderloin” and that it was “creating a safe haven for drug dealers and users.”

“Families and minors rely on convenience stores, and we will not tolerate a store that that sells drugs,” Chiu said in the press release.

“We are asking the Court to protect the community, shut this store down immediately, and level the playing field for law-abiding small businesses. Thanks to SFPD and DPH for their vigilance and commitment to resident safety.”

Police Chief Derrick Lew said that “Selling illegal narcotics in San Francisco [is] unacceptable.”

The shop has hit back saying they are being falsely blamed for the drug problem in the area.

A man who identified himself as “J Money,” told KTVU that his family owned the store and said all they sell is things like clothes, snacks, and speakers, but no drugs.

One of the regular customers told the outlet that meth is sold outside but that they weren’t dealing in the store.

Another called the suit “bulls***t”. “It ain’t nothing going on.”

When pressed by the reporter if he had ever seen any drug dealing in the store, he said he hadn’t. 

“No never. We just family here, regular customers come here.”

In the suit, the city noted that one of the owners of the shop, owns the Tenderloin convenience store SF Discount Market.

That store is already facing a lawsuit filed in October 2024, by the city attorney who has accused the shop of  “illegal gambling, hosting a fencing operation, and fueling drug activity,” per the release. 

While the lawsuit is going on, the market was ordered to shut down.

San Francisco continues to grapple with a staggering number of fatal drug overdoses. The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data ranked it the second-worst in the US, trailing only Baltimore.

Even as the opioid crisis drags on, federal figures show a modest shift: Overall overdose deaths in San Francisco have begun to decline. In 2025, fatalities fell to their lowest level in five years. Still, the city remains near the top nationally in per-capita overdose deaths.

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