Cal Guard seizes millions of fentanyl pills since January

Governor Gavin Newsome | Official website

The California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force has seized over 5,000 pounds of fentanyl powder and 9.6 million pills containing fentanyl at California's ports of entry since January 2024. Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the task force supported the seizure of over 772,000 pills in August alone, with an estimated street value of $3.8 million.

"Each month, the California National Guard continues the life-saving work of supporting local, state, and federal agencies in keeping dangerous and illicit drugs out of our communities. I thank Cal Guard for making our neighborhoods safer," said Governor Gavin Newsom.

In June, Governor Newsom increased the number of service members in the Counterdrug Task Force from 155 to nearly 400 to enhance efforts at interdicting fentanyl and other drugs at California ports of entry. This move followed a previous increase last year by approximately 50%. Fentanyl is primarily smuggled into the country by U.S. citizens through these ports.

Operations supported by Cal Guard led to a record seizure of 62,224 pounds of fentanyl in 2023, marking a significant increase from previous years. These coordinated drug interdiction efforts are partially funded by California’s $60 million investment over four years aimed at preventing drug trafficking by transnational criminal organizations.

California is taking aggressive action against the opioid crisis through various initiatives under Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis. The plan includes measures to support overdose prevention efforts, hold pharmaceutical companies accountable, crack down on drug trafficking, and raise awareness about opioid dangers.

The state has launched opioids.ca.gov as a resource hub for prevention and treatment information. Additionally, the Facts Fight Fentanyl campaign aims to educate Californians on fentanyl dangers and overdose prevention methods.

As part of these efforts, CalRx®-branded naloxone is becoming available over-the-counter across California. Through the Naloxone Distribution Project (NDP), eligible organizations can obtain naloxone HCL nasal spray for free or purchase it for $24 per twin-pack through Amneal.

Governor Newsom also discussed combating transnational shipping of precursor chemicals used to create fentanyl with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October as part of President Biden’s bilateral cooperation agreement with China on counternarcotics.