California has seized over eight million fentanyl pills in the first half of the year.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force seized over one million fentanyl pills in June to top eight million for the year so far.
The big picture: Law enforcement seized 1,068,219 fentanyl pills and 423 pounds of fentanyl powder in June, bringing the total number of pounds to over 4,000 for the year.
- The seizures in June hold an estimated street value of $3.875 million.
- The drug seizure comes after the state bumped the number of Counterdrug Task Force service members along the border from 155 to nearly 400 last month.
- Last year the number of Cal Guard service members deployed to catch drugs along the border increased by around 50 percent, resulting in an increase in fentanyl seizure of 1,066 percent since 2021.
What they’re saying: “We’re doubling down on our work to tackle the opioid and fentanyl crisis,” Newsom said. “California is hard at work getting illegal fentanyl off our streets, intercepting the drug at our border, and holding traffickers accountable. Just last month, our Counterdrug Task Force helped seize one million deadly fentanyl pills and hundreds of pounds of fentanyl powder from communities across the state.”
