1 million fentanyl pills seized in California

LOS ANGELES – More than one million fentanyl pills were seized in California last month –  including more than 592,900 pills seized at the state’s ports of entry, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week.

The seizures highlight the importance of counter-drug operations along the southern border and increased border security, according to a press release from Gov. Newsom’s office.  The bipartisan border security deal, which is being blocked by Republicans in Congress, includes funding and new mechanisms to crack down on fentanyl trafficking.

California law enforcement seized over 40 pounds of fentanyl in San Francisco last year. FILE PHOTO

“Our increased California National Guard deployment helped federal partners seize over half a million fentanyl pills at the southern border last month,” Newsom said.

“We’re doing our job, while Republicans in Congress drop the ball and block the bipartisan border security deal that would further crack down on fentanyl trafficking. They continue to choose chaos for political gain over the American people.”

Following lobbying efforts led by the California Congressional delegation and the Newsom administration, the FY24 defense appropriations bill signed into law earlier this month by President Biden includes an approximately $10 million increase in funding for CalGuard’s counternarcotics operation.

Despite this increase, Republicans in Congress continue to reject a bipartisan border security deal — at former President Trump’s urging — that would further boost law enforcement efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl including through new sanctions.

The bipartisan deal would also fund over 4,300 asylum officers, 100 immigration judges and local humanitarian efforts to support a safe and orderly process for people after they are released from federal custody.

Cracking down on the smuggling of illegal drugs, Governor Newsom last year increased the number of CalGuard service members deployed to intercept drugs at U.S. ports of entry along the border by approximately 50 percent. The operations resulted in the record seizure of 62,224 pounds of fentanyl in 2023 — a 1066 percent increase since 2021.

Earlier this year, Gov. Newsom joined several states in urging Congress to act on border security and humanitarian support for local communities. Last month, the Governor visited the California-Mexico border and met with President Biden and senior White House officials to discuss key issues impacting California, including immigration and border policy.

In support of President Biden’s bilateral cooperation agreement with China on counternarcotics, the Governor spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October about combating the transnational shipping of precursor chemicals used to create fentanyl.

Since Gov. Newsom took office in 2019, California has invested over $1 billion to crack down on opioid trafficking and enforce the law, combat overdoses, support those with opioid use disorder, and raise awareness about the dangers of opioids.

The Governor’s Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis provides a comprehensive framework to deepen the impact of these investments.