Bay Area Store Accused of Selling Meth

A San Francisco corner store is now at the center of a much bigger fight over how the Tenderloin’s street drug economy actually works. The city says The Corner Store at 401 Eddy Street was not just tolerating drug activity outside — it was allegedly selling methamphetamine and other contraband itself. That matters because it turns a familiar neighborhood complaint into something more direct: officials are saying the store was part of the market, not just next to it. On May 7, City Attorney David Chiu filed a lawsuit asking a court to shut the business down for a year. (kron4.com) ### What is the city accusing the store of? The lawsuit says the operators of The Corner Store sold controlled substances, illegal tobacco products, and other contraband while enabling crime in and around the business. The named business defendant is Discount Markeet 2 Inc., doing business as Corner St(kron4.com) Street, at Eddy and Leavenworth in the Tenderloin. (media.api.sf.gov) ### Why is this different from a normal nuisance case? Usually these cases are about a business attracting trouble — loitering, fencing, gambling, fights. Here, the city’s point is sharper. Chiu said the store “became the drug dealer,” which is basically the whole theory of the case. The complaint is framed under California d(media.api.sf.gov) so the city is trying to treat the store as an active illegal operation, not a passive bad neighbor. (kron4.com) ### What did investigators actually find? The most concrete piece is the November 2025 inspection and raid. San Francisco police, the Department of Public Health, and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration searched the store and seized 48.1 grams of meth, nearly 5 pounds of cannabis, a(kron4.com)nvestigators also bought an illegal flavored tobacco vape in an undercover operation. That mix matters because it suggests a retail setup for repeated sales, not one random stash. (kron4.com) ### How long had this been building? Not overnight. The complaint says the current operators had owned the store since at least February 2023. KRON’s summary of the case says police responded to 12 incidents in or around the business between March 2023 and February 2025, including theft, vandalism, alt(kron4.com)a coordinated enforcement action, then the lawsuit. (media.api.sf.gov) ### Why is the Tenderloin part so important? Because this is not one isolated storefront. By January 31, 2026, city officials said they had already shut down or sued nine Tenderloin convenience stores accused of drug sales, gambling, or related criminal activity. The city also tied that campaign to a late-night retail curfew (media.api.sf.gov)rackdown, not a fresh policy turn. (sfgate.com) ### Is there a repeat-player angle here? Yes — and it helps explain why the city moved hard. KRON says one of the Corner Store owners was also tied to a separate 2024 lawsuit against another Tenderloin business, Discount Market, where the city alleged illegal gambling, fencing, and drug-related activi(sfgate.com)his is not a first warning. (kron4.com) ### What can the city actually do now? The immediate goal is an injunction and a one-year shutdown. The city is also seeking civil penalties and other court orders to stop the alleged violations. The catch is that this is still a civil lawsuit, not a final judgment. The allegations are serious, but they still have to be proved or resolved in court. (kron4.com) ### Bottom line? The big shift here is simple. San Francisco is no longer just saying certain Tenderloin stores attract the drug trade. In this case, the city says the store itself was part of the supply chain — and it wants the court to close it down fast. (kron4.com)