California: Governor Newsom's border strategy intercepts 54 million lethal fentanyl pills since 2021

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Mar 31, 2026

Governor Newsom's border strategy intercepts 54 million lethal fentanyl pills since 2021

What you need to know: In 2021, Governor Newsom launched a major expansion of California's border drug-interdiction operations, redirecting the California National Guard toward stopping fentanyl traffickers. Since then, those efforts have helped seize more than 54 million lethal fentanyl pills.

SACRAMENTO – Through California's expanded border drug-interdiction operations, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced a record-breaking public safety milestone: 37,000 pounds of fentanyl seized, including nearly 54 million lethal pills, worth more than $513 million before they could reach California communities.

Since 2021, Governor Newsom has deployed the California National Guard – known as the Counterdrug Task Force – to support intelligence-driven drug interdiction at ports of entry — a targeted, lawful strategy backed by a $30 million state investment proposed by the Governor and enacted in the state budget.

We've taken a focused, no-nonsense approach to keep deadly fentanyl out of our communities. While others chase headlines and deploy troops for political theater, California is doing the real work — stopping drugs at the border, saving lives, and holding traffickers accountable.

Governor Gavin Newsom

This strategy strengthens coordination with federal, state, and local partners, including High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) programs, and targets transnational criminal organizations where they operate — at ports of entry. Just last month, Governor Newsom was in San Diego providing an update on the counter narcotics efforts the CalGuard and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) are involved in.

Unlike the Trump administration's chaotic deployments and diversion of military resources toward open-ended international conflicts, California has remained focused on its core responsibility: protecting people at home with precision, accountability, and results.

Guard service beyond the border

California National Guard servicemembers are also on the front lines of the state's most urgent issues.

In late February, more than 100 state, local and federal officers – including CalGuard Counterdrug Task Force members – were involved in a months-long operation in Northern California known as "Operation Trash Panda" where they seized 1,443 pounds of bulk methamphetamine and 1,270 partially processed methamphetamine , for a street value of $4 million. In addition, officials seized 1,900 marijuana plants, about 107 pounds of processed marijuana and 12 firearms.

Through Joint Task Force Rattlesnake, more than 400 Cal Guard members work under CAL FIRE to prevent and fight wildfires — a mission as critical to public safety as stopping fentanyl. Their Type 1 fire crews have responded to over 2,500 fires since 2020.

"Our servicemembers live and work in the same communities they serve, and they bring capabilities that make a real difference to our partners across California, " said California Military Department Major General Matthew P. Beevers. Whether that's helping disrupt drug trafficking or standing shoulder to shoulder with firefighters on the front lines, it's about putting the right people in the right place to protect Californians."

Disrupted by Trump, restored by California

These lifesaving operations were disrupted when President Trump removed California National Guard members from their duties last year and illegally deployed them against their own communities – halting critical counterdrug and emergency response work.

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After the Guard was returned to state control, Governor Newsom moved quickly to restore these operations — getting servicemembers back to doing what they're trained to do: protecting Californians.

Stopping crime statewide

California's public safety strategy doesn't stop at the border.

The CHP for two years has been conducting targeted crime suppression operations — recently expanding to San Diego, the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, the Central Valley, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area — resulting in:

• 12,645 arrests
• 6,475 stolen vehicles recovered
• 568 illegal firearms seized
• 2,549+ pounds of drugs confiscated, including fentanyl

In addition, in late 2025, the California National Guard and Mexico's National Defense Secretariat (DEFENSA), which manages the Army and Air Force, signed a letter of intent to further enhance border security, amplify our tied economic prosperity, and share military expertise. As part of their new partnership, Mexico's DEFENSA visited California in January for a multi-day hands-on understanding of the state's leadership in public safety and emergency management.

Saving lives

Fentanyl is primarily smuggled into the country by U.S. citizens through ports of entry and remains one of the deadliest drugs in circulation — just two milligrams can be lethal.

California is attacking the crisis from every angle:

• CalRx® naloxone – now available statewide at a lower cost
• $40.9 million saved and reinvested into opioid response
• 400,000+ overdose reversals through naloxone distribution
• opioids.ca.gov provides resources for prevention, treatment, and accountability

Read more about the work California is doing to address the overdose epidemic here.

New data show crime is down

According to recent data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, crime is down nearly across the board in California year-over-year.

• Homicides: ↓18%
• Robberies: ↓19%
• Violent crime: Down in every major city reporting data
• Largest drops: Oakland (↓25%) and San Francisco (↓21%)

Compared to 2019 (the last pre‑pandemic year), violent crime across the same large California city police departments tracked in the MCCA year‑end surveys is down about 12% in 2025 — driven by robberies down about 29% and homicides down about 12%. Not every major jurisdiction is seeing California's same results: violent crime increased in Atlanta (+17%), with robbery up (+27%), and homicides rose in El Paso (+25%) and Omaha (+37%).

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California's significant public safety investments

California has invested $2.1 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety. In 2023, as part of California's Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever (https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/09/14/california-makes-largest-ever-investment-to-combat-smash-and-grabs/) investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% (https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/12/19/orc-efforts-2023/) increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special (https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/12/22/sf-operation-2023-update/) operations (https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/09/07/governor-newsom-increases-calguard-at-border/) across (https://www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/california-approves-oakland-bid-for-chp-officers-18274937.php) the state to fight crime and improve public safety.

In 2024, Governor Newsom signed into law the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California history. (https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/08/16/governor-newsom-signs-landmark-legislative-package-cracking-down-on-retail-crime-and-property-theft/) Building on the state's robust laws and record public safety funding, these bipartisan bills offer new tools to bolster ongoing efforts to hold criminals accountable for smash-and-grab robberies, property crime, retail theft, and auto burglaries. While California's crime rate remains at near-historic lows, these laws help California adapt to evolving criminal tactics to ensure perpetrators are effectively held accountable.

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