Golden State Today

Since January, the state has helped seize nearly 7 million pills containing fentanyl and 3,725 pounds of fentanyl powder across California, including at ports of entry along the southern border.

SACRAMENTO — Ramping up efforts to continue tackling illicit fentanyl in the state, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the seizure of an estimated nearly 7 million pills containing fentanyl statewide, including at ports of entry along the southern border, since January 2024.

Through the California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force, which helps local and federal partners take deadly fentanyl off the streets, partners seized 1,170,893 pills containing fentanyl and 986 pounds of fentanyl powder in May alone.

“California’s robust partnerships to tackle illegal fentanyl are leading to significant results time and time again. We will continue to take fentanyl out of our neighborhoods, hold drug traffickers accountable, and expand access to life-saving medicine to benefit all Californians,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.

“The California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force continues to play an important role in the fight against fentanyl,” said CalGuard Major General Matthew Beevers. “We are proud to be a part of this effort and will continue to provide critical resources to our local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement partners.”

Specifically, the Task Force focuses on gathering information to interdict illegal narcotics trafficking, utilizing air and ground assets to build criminal investigations, and supporting personnel at border ports of entry to stop illegal narcotics trafficking. CalGuard members with the Counterdrug Task Force are embedded in cross-government initiatives to combat transnational criminal organizations and the trafficking of illegal narcotics – like fentanyl.

Recently, Governor Newsom more than doubled the deployment of CalGuard servicemembers to crack down on fentanyl smuggling. In May, the state announced the taskforce’s work had led to seizing more than 5.8 million fentanyl pills since January.

The state also launched opioids.ca.gov as a resource for Californians seeking prevention and treatment information as well as updates on how California is holding Big Pharma and drug-traffickers accountable in this crisis.

As part of Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis, over-the-counter CalRx®-branded naloxone is now becoming available across the state. Through the Naloxone Distribution Project (NDP), CalRx®-branded over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone HCL nasal spray will be available for free through eligible organizations or for sale for $24 per twin-pack through Amneal.

Last year saw an increase in deployed CalGuard service members by approximately 50% at U.S. ports of entry along the border. The operations supported by CalGuard resulted in a record seizure of 62,224 pounds of fentanyl in 2023 — a significant increase since 2021. These coordinated efforts are funded partly by California’s $30 million investment aimed at preventing drug trafficking by transnational criminal organizations. Fentanyl is primarily smuggled into the country by U.S. citizens.

In support of President Biden’s bilateral cooperation agreement with China on counternarcotics efforts last October included discussions between Governor Newsom and Chinese President Xi Jinping about combating transnational shipping routes used for precursor chemicals necessary for creating fentanyl.

Recently announced federal sanctions target traffickers bringing drugs into America; these measures leverage expertise from agencies like The U.S Treasury Department aiming specifically toward disrupting financial flows crucially relied upon by organized crime groups involved within this trade.