Newsom: More than 1 million fentanyl pills seized in June

A boost in California National Guard troops at the southern border, including in San Diego County, helped authorities seize more than 1 million fentanyl pills and over 400 pounds of fentanyl powder last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said today.  

In June, the California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force seized 1,068,219 pills and 423 pounds of fentanyl powder, according to a statement from the governor's office.

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Last month, Newsom announced that the number of National Guard members at ports of entry would be increased from 155 to 392.   

Since the beginning of the year, the task force has seized more than eight million pills and over 4,000 pounds of powder, Newsom's office said.   

"We're doubling down on our work to tackle the opioid and fentanyl crisis,'' Newsom said in a statement. "California is hard at work getting illegal fentanyl off our streets, intercepting the drug at our border, and holding traffickers accountable."  

Last fall, Newsom announced the number of servicemembers 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.

Earlier this month, News Channel 3 anchor Karen Devine investigated the tactics a local border checkpoint is using to combat the fentanyl crisis.