Newsom: More than 9 million fentanyl pills seized at southern border

A boost in California National Guard troops at the southern border, including in San Diego County, helped authorities seize over nine million fentanyl pills and over 5,000 pounds of fentanyl powder since the beginning of the year, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office announced today.

Last fall, Newsom announced that the number of service members would be increased by 50% at four ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, including San Ysidro and Otay Mesa in San Diego County. That figure represented an increase from 40 troops to 60 at ports of entry.

The governor's office said last year's increase of service members helped support a record seizure of over 62,000 pounds of fentanyl in 2023.   

This summer, an additional increase boosted the number of National Guard members at ports of entry to 392. Since then, members of the California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force have seized 9.6 million fentanyl pills this year valued at over $43 million.

The task force most recently seized over 772,000 pills in the month of August, which the governor's office said carries 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,'' Newsom said in a statement.