A Muni bus ride through SoMa ended with five arrests last Wednesday, after San Francisco investigators say a drone tracked a vehicle tied to a drug-trafficking probe from Oakland into the city. Hours later, officers and sheriff’s deputies searched four Oakland homes, uncovering eight pounds of narcotics, guns, body armor and more than $10,000 in cash.
Drone Tracking Led Police To A SoMa Muni Stop
According to CBS San Francisco, investigators followed the suspects’ vehicle into San Francisco and tracked it by drone to the South of Market area, where five people boarded a Muni bus near 2nd and Mission streets. Officers then boarded the bus and detained everyone in the group, with police saying a search turned up narcotics and evidence connected to drug sales.
The suspects were identified as 19-year-old Wilmer Mendez-Raudales, 26-year-old Francisco Cruz, 33-year-old Eduardo Linares, 21-year-old Nestor Quinonez-Cubas and 22-year-old Nestor Reyes-Palma. Police said one suspect was a convicted felon and two had open court cases in San Francisco.
Raid Fits A Broader SF-East Bay Drug Crackdown
The operation reflects the cross-city strategy behind SFPD’s Drug Market Agency Coordination Center, which the San Francisco Police Department describes as a multi-agency effort targeting drug dealing and consumption tied to open-air markets in the Tenderloin and South of Market. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said in June that coordinated federal and local efforts had produced about 89 arrests and major fentanyl and methamphetamine seizures since October 2025.
It is also not SFPD’s first Oakland drug-house operation this year. Hoodline previously reported that an earlier January search there led to four arrests and the seizure of more than 4.5 pounds of narcotics, along with cash, ammunition and packaging equipment.
Four Oakland Homes Yielded Drugs, Weapons And Cash
After the bus arrests, officers, sheriff’s deputies and two police dogs executed search warrants at four Oakland homes linked to the investigation, CBS San Francisco reports. Police said the searches produced eight pounds of narcotics and equipment used to package them, plus a rifle, shotgun, two handguns, body armor, ammunition, digital scales, money counters and more than $10,000 in cash.
All five suspects were booked into San Francisco County Jail on allegations including possession of a controlled substance for sale, operating or maintaining a drug house, conspiracy, transportation or sale of controlled substances and receiving stolen property. Mendez-Raudales and Cruz are also accused of committing a felony while on bail or release, while Linares is accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Booking Charges Are Not Convictions
The allegations remain unproven, and an arrest or booking does not establish guilt. Further court filings will determine how the case proceeds.
