SAN DIEGO — California is continuing its crackdown on fentanyl being smuggled into the United States. Governor Newsom announced Thursday that the California National Guard will play an even larger role in this ongoing fight.
Twenty additional Cal Guard soldiers will be placed at the four ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, including San Ysidro. So far this year, 93 percent of all fentanyl seizures have taken place at legal crossing points or vehicle checkpoints, which is where these additional guard troops will be targeting their efforts, helping to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
"California is cracking down," Governor Gavin Newsom warned in a new video released on Twitter. "California is putting in the work to address this crisis."
Newsom said the state will increase the number of California National Guard troops helping with drug enforcement by 50 percent: bringing the total number of Cal Guard members assigned to the border specifically to keep illicit drugs out of the U.S. to 60.
Jaime Puerta lost his only child Daniel to a fentanyl overdose in 2020. Daniel was only 16. Puerta shared his heartbreaking loss in the documentary "Dead on Arrival."
Last year, Cal Guard helped law enforcement seize nearly 29,000 pounds of fentanyl with a street value of over $230 million, according to the Newsom administration.
Puerta, who lives in Southern California, is applauding this renewed effort.
"They'll be able to look at the vehicles a lot better, they'll be able to use their technology, their x-ray machines to look a little bit longer, and be able to seize a lot more of these drugs coming into the nation," Puerta told CBS 8.
Every day, more than 150 people die to overdoses related to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, according to the CDC.
Puerta is hopeful this crackdown will help to reduce those numbers, but also said that these efforts are not enough.
"We are not going to arrest out way out of this situation," he added. "The only way we are really are going to be able to stop this from happening, stop these senseless deaths from happening like my own son, is through education and awareness."
If you'd like to watch the documentary 'Dead on Arrival' (in English and Spanish) click here.
For more information on the non-profit Stop the VOID, click here.
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