California: CalGuard sees 240% increase in fentanyl seized since June, after most of the National Guard was returned to the Governor’s control
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Nov 2, 2025

CalGuard sees 240% increase in fentanyl seized since June, after most of the National Guard was returned to the Governor's control

What you need to know: The California National Guard has helped seize 891 pounds of illicit fentanyl in September, a 240% increase since June when the President pulled servicemembers off vital public safety missions to unlawfully militarize Los Angeles. The Guard is providing service missions and functions to help Californians, including helping food banks, fighting wildfires, and conducting outreach in schools.

SACRAMENTO – As California National Guard's specialized narcotics teams are back to full strength after many servicemembers were pulled off their assignments by President Trump to deploy to Los Angeles unnecessarily, in September alone, they have helped seize 891 pounds of fentanyl – a 240% increase since June. Worth an estimated $6.75 million, this work to take down illicit fentanyl means less dangerous drugs on the streets.

The California National Guard isn't just about defense — it's about service to Californians. Their work is humanitarian at its core – compassion in uniform. Every single person benefits when the Guard is out there — because their service reminds us we're all connected, and that the strength of this state comes from the goodness of those who give more than they take.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Since they started drug interdiction efforts in 2021, they have helped seize over 34,350 pounds of fentanyl and more than 50.6 million pills containing fentanyl, with a street value of more than $492 million.

So far this year, servicemembers, along with partner agencies, have helped seize 4,460 pounds of fentanyl, which is nearly 2 million pills, worth an estimated value of nearly $36 million.

There are over 400 servicemembers deployed statewide, including at ports of entry, to combat transnational criminal organizations and seize illegal narcotics. As soldiers have gotten back to doing important public safety work, it's important to remember that an estimated 32% of CalGuard's servicemembers dedicated to the Counterdrug Task Force were reassigned by the President to unlawfully militarize Los Angeles.

Fentanyl is primarily smuggled into the country by U.S. citizens through ports of entry. Within the last year, Governor Newsom announced continued augmentation in staffing and enforcement of CalGuard's illicit fentanyl operations.

CalGuard takes counterdrug efforts to schools

The work CalGuard servicemembers do isn't just through enforcement actions – they are helping bring attention to the dangers of illegal and dangerous narcotics in schools throughout the state. Through drug prevention efforts in elementary, middle, and high schools in California, CalGuard's Drug Demand Reduction Outreach program has visited 58 schools and reached 8,970 students. From October 2024 through September 2025, this program has visited 200 schools and reached over 112,000 students

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By conducting in-person outreach and understanding students' beliefs about their own health using a Health Belief Model, CalGuard is implementing an impactful initiative in the fight against opioid abuse.

CalGuard's humanitarian, public safety work is cross collaborative

On top of the work CalGuard does to bring down dangerous drug rings, servicemembers are also critical to help protect the state from natural disasters and emergencies, such as Task Force Rattlesnake. Joint Task Force Rattlesnake is made up of over 300 CalGuard members, who work at the direction of CAL FIRE to help fight and prevent fires.

Plus, CalGuard helps the state through humanitarian crises. Governor Newsom has mobilized them to support food banks and Californians by planning, packing, distributing, and delivering meals to families in need throughout the state – similar to his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. All of this to provide food as benefits are delayed for 5.5 million Californians – the state, including CalGuard servicemembers, are stepping up to protect families from hunger.

Reminder – 300 members of CalGuard are still federalized

In recent weeks, Trump has publicly stated his intention to unlawfully send in the National Guard to San Francisco, including saying on October 19 that "they want us in San Francisco," and on October 15 "strongly recommending at the request of government officials, which is always nice, that you start looking at San Francisco" to deploy the military.

In fact, community partners and local leaders have vehemently disagreed with the President and have said no to this domestic military intervention in the city  – public safety is up and crime is down, all because of significant investments and meaningful partnerships between state and local leaders.

Since the deployment of soldiers to Los Angeles in June, the federal government has shifted their reasoning and broadened their mission, dispatching hundreds of federalized National Guard members beyond Los Angeles to Portland and Chicago.

The federal government has now renewed the federalization of these California guard members to at least February 2026.

Following a bench trial, a federal judge ruled in August 2025 that President Trump's deployment of the California National Guard in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. This law restricts the military's involvement in domestic law enforcement and was central to a lawsuit filed by Governor Gavin Newsom and the state of California against the Trump administration regarding the federalization and deployment of these troops. That ruling is on hold pending the federal government's appeal.

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Trump's militarization of Los Angeles

On June 7, for the first time in our country's history, the President invoked 10 U.S.C. § 12406 to federalize a state's National Guard over the objections of California. President Trump and Department of Defense Secretary Hegseth transferred 4,000 members of California's National Guard—one in three of the Guard's total active members—to federal control to serve in a civilian law enforcement role on the streets of Los Angeles and other communities in Southern California. California brought suit to challenge that unprecedented action. The litigation is ongoing.

Governor Newsom has warned that although California was the first to be targeted in this way, it would not be the last.

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