What you need to know: In October, California’s fentanyl task force continued an aggressive push to keep the lethal drug out of communities by helping law enforcement partners seize over 1.7 million pills containing fentanyl at a street valuation of nearly $12 million. 

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the continuation of the state’s effort to address the fentanyl crisis, with the California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force supporting the seizure of 1,541 pounds of illicit fentanyl in October. These seizures included over 1.7 million fentanyl pills at an estimated street value of $11.9 million.

“California continues the intensive work of keeping fentanyl out of our communities, helping law enforcement seize over 204% more fentanyl last month than the month prior. I thank the California National Guard and law enforcement for their diligent and lifesaving work at our ports of entry and across the state.” - Governor Gavin Newsom

How we got here

In June, Governor Newsom doubled down on the deployment of the Cal Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force by more than doubling the number of service members supporting  fentanyl interdiction, and seizing other drugs, at California ports of entry from 155 to nearly 400. 

In 2023, the Governor increased the number of Cal Guard service members deployed to support drug interdiction at California ports of entry along the border by approximately 50%. Fentanyl is primarily smuggled into the country by U.S. citizens through ports of entry. 

Cal Guard’s coordinated drug interdiction efforts in the state are funded in part by California’s $60 million investment over four years to expand Cal Guard’s work to prevent drug trafficking by transnational criminal organizations. This adds to the Governor’s efforts to address fentanyl within California, including by cracking down on fentanyl in communities across the state, including San Francisco.

Addressing the opioid crisis

California is taking aggressive action to end the fentanyl and opioid crisis. The Governor’s Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis provides a comprehensive framework to deepen the impact of these investments, including aggressive steps to support overdose prevention efforts, hold the opioid pharmaceutical industry accountable, crack down on drug trafficking, and raise awareness about the dangers of opioids, including fentanyl.

The state launched opioids.ca.gov, a one-stop tool for Californians seeking resources for prevention and treatment, as well as information on how California is working to hold Big Pharma and drug traffickers accountable in this crisis.

In August, California launched the Facts Fight Fentanyl campaign to educate Californians on the dangers of fentanyl and how to prevent overdoses and deaths. This effort will provide critical information about fentanyl and life-saving tools such as naloxone.

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, 4 mg, will be available for free to eligible organizations through the state or for sale for $24 per twin-pack through Amneal.

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.