SAN FRANCISCO – A pre-dawn raid on a suspected illegal nightclub in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood has unexpectedly linked to a federal investigation into stolen iPhones in Oregon.
Early Morning Operation
At around 3 a.m. Monday, San Francisco police executed a raid at 2543 Noriega Street, the site of an alleged underground club tied to a sex crimes investigation. Officers reported finding multiple firearms and various suspected narcotics inside.
While police initially did not confirm the address, KTVU later verified it as the former location of several restaurants, most recently Xian Bistro. The storefront’s windows were covered in tarp, with broken glass scattered along the sidewalk.
FBI Fugitive Arrested
Among those taken into custody was 31-year-old Cankun He, a man wanted by the FBI in connection with a series of armed robberies targeting iPhone shipments in Oregon. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, He is believed to have been living in the Bay Area.
Authorities have not clarified whether He was specifically targeted in Monday’s raid or if his arrest was coincidental. The number of other individuals detained during the operation has not been disclosed.
The Oregon iPhone Robbery Scheme
Federal court documents allege that He orchestrated and funded two attempted armed robberies in Portland in the spring of 2023 but did not personally carry them out.
The first robbery, on April 25, 2023, involved four co-conspirators wearing jackets falsely marked “FBI.” Prosecutors say they drove into a business parking lot using blue and red flashing lights to mimic law enforcement vehicles.
Once inside, suspects Jordan Cantie and Robert Maynard allegedly brandished a firearm, forced employees into the building, zip-tied them, and made verbal threats. They then stole about 200 Apple iPhones and five cameras before fleeing.
A month later, three of the same suspects attempted a similar heist but were arrested during the attempt. He was not apprehended at the time, as he was allegedly only involved in planning and financing the operations.
Current Status of Defendants
Of the five Bay Area men indicted in the case:
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Jordan Cantie remains at large.
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He and the other three defendants are currently in federal custody.
He was scheduled for arraignment Tuesday at a San Francisco federal courthouse following his transfer to federal authorities.
Unanswered Questions
While the nightclub raid has yielded an unexpected federal arrest, questions remain about the scope of the operation, including the total number of arrests and the nature of the alleged sex crimes investigation tied to the Noriega Street location.
For now, the case stands as a rare overlap between a local criminal probe and a multi-state federal investigation, with both San Francisco police and the FBI continuing their respective inquiries.
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