Gov. Gavin Newsom is increasing the number of California National Guard members stationed along the border to stem a worrying tide of smuggled drugs, particularly fentanyl, from Mexico.
On Thursday, Newsom announced that the number of CalGuard members stationed at ports of entry would increase by about 50%, from 40 to 60.
“Fentanyl is a deadly poison that destroys families and communities,” Newsom said in a statement.
“California is taking aggressive action, and today we are going further by deploying more CalGuard soldiers to combat this crisis and keep our communities safe.”
The added CalGuard members will also assist U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents with X-rays and secondary inspections of vehicles crossing the border, according to Newsom’s statement.
Newsom previously expanded CalGuard operations, leading to a whopping 594% increase in fentanyl seized in the state.
Authorities believe that about 65% of the narcotics supply in the United States enters the country through the California border, according to Maj. Gen. Matthew Beevers of the California Military Department, the Los Angeles Times reported.
At a news conference Wednesday, Beevers praised CalGuard for having “some extraordinarily successful operations this past year.”
Newsom announced Thursday that the number of CalGuard members stationed at ports of entry will increase from 40 to 60.AP
Additional CalGuard Members to Assist U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agents with AP Vehicle X-Rays and Secondary Inspections
In 2022, law enforcement in California seized 28,765 pounds of fentanyl; As of July 1, CalGuard has helped seize more than 11,760 pounds of fentanyl this year.
The anti-narcotics program receives $26 million from the federal government and $15 million from the state budget—a whopping $41 million that goes toward the drug crisis.
“We recognize this is a unique challenge for California, and I think the governor’s additional $15 million really speaks to getting it done,” Beevers said.
The program receives a budget of $41 million and receives funding from both the state and federal governments. JUAN G MABANGLO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
CalGuard’s staffing surge will begin Thursday.
The Golden State has long been plagued by narcotics smuggling across the border from Mexico.
In particular, areas of Northern California have sustained a greater flow of illicit drugs in recent years, including in cities such as Oakland and San Francisco, where open-air drug markets and narcotics tourism have left the area as “ uninhabitable” for many.
California has long struggled with illicit drug smuggling across the border. AP
San Francisco has also seen a “wave” of fatal overdoses in recent months, with the most recent data showing that fentanyl caused 62 of a total of 71 overdose deaths last month. The latest figures emerged on the same day that a report concluded that “the City Council is failing” its citizens there.
The overdose numbers have put San Francisco on track to break a record of 712 overdose deaths in 2020.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn