There are drug dealers, and then there are people who are rocking a whole kilogram of fentanyl in the Tenderloin. One of those alleged kilo-holders is now jailed and facing charges, and is also accused of having huge volumes of heroin and meth.
The SFPD made a pretty notable drug bust last Thursday, May 8, at about 10:40 pm in the Tenderloin. And while they usually make a big deal out of high-volume busts, they've been relatively quiet on this one. But the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office is making a to-do about that bust, aftder a search of the suspect’s car produced nearly half a kilo of heroin, almost half a kilo of meth, and a whole kilo of fentanyl.
1/ Today, San Francisco District Attorney @BrookeJenkinsSF announced that Jefferson Arrechaba has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with narcotics trafficking in the Tenderloin. pic.twitter.com/t5W4rcgeM0
— SF DISTRICT ATTORNEY (@SFDAOffice) May 14, 2025
Our suspect here is 31-year-old Jefferson Arrechaba, whom police saw holding small baggies they suspected were drugs. The DA’s Office says police saw Arrechaba “allegedly make quick furtive hand movements between himself and several other people who were loitering on the block. The police also saw him allegedly displaying hypervigilance.” So they moved in, at which point Arrechaba allegedly tossed a set of car keys into some bushes.
Upon confronting Arrechaba, they found him to be in possession of 87.7 grams of suspected fentanyl and about $2,170 in cash. And they located the car for which he had tossed they keys.
“The police retrieved the car key and used it to open a blue Honda CR-V that was parked on the west side of Gough Street just south of McAllister Street,” the DA’s office said in a statement. “The police searched the vehicle and found over one kilogram of suspected fentanyl as well as 389.3 grams of suspected heroin, 32.1 grams of suspected Alprazolam, 437.2 grams of Methamphetamine and four black digital scales.”
If you didn't already know, Alprazolam is the generic name for Xanax.
DA Brooke Jenkins has charged Arrechaba with possession for sale of fentanyl, possession for sale of heroin, possession for sale of methamphetamine, and possession for sale of alprazolam. The fentanyl charge comes with another charge for exceeding one kilogram, and he’s got still another charge for violating the terms of release from an unnamed pending felony case for which he had been released before trial.
Arrechaba pleaded not guilty to all charges, though was denied bail, and remains in custody.
While an arrest has been made, this is still an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Related: SFPD Arrests High-Volume Drug Dealer In Tenderloin Following Four-Month Investigation [SFist]
Image: SFPD