state of california
Sacramento, California – After months of tension between state and federal leaders, the California National Guard is back on its home turf — and producing results. In September alone, Guard units helped seize 891 pounds of illicit fentanyl, a 240 percent increase since June, when President Trump pulled state servicemembers off their assignments to militarize Los Angeles in violation of federal law, according to a recent state report.
Governor Gavin Newsom said the latest seizures underscore the Guard’s role not just in law enforcement, but in public service. “The California National Guard isn’t just about defense — it’s about service to Californians,” Newsom said. “Their work is humanitarian at its core — compassion in uniform.”
The drugs taken off the streets last month had an estimated value of $6.75 million. Since the Guard began drug interdiction efforts in 2021, its counter-narcotics teams have helped seize over 34,000 pounds of fentanyl and more than 50 million pills containing the deadly synthetic opioid — a total street value exceeding $490 million. So far this year, the Guard, working alongside local and federal partners, has seized 4,460 pounds of fentanyl, nearly two million pills, worth about $36 million.
About 400 Guard members are currently deployed across California, including at ports of entry, working to disrupt transnational criminal networks that smuggle drugs through commercial channels. Most fentanyl, officials say, enters the country through legal ports, often hidden in vehicles driven by U.S. citizens.
The recent progress comes after months of disruption. Roughly one-third of the Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force was sidelined in June when President Trump ordered their federalization and deployment to Los Angeles — an action a federal judge later ruled violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars the military from domestic law enforcement. That ruling is on hold as the federal government appeals, but for now, California’s soldiers are back to what they were trained to do: protect their own communities.
Their work extends well beyond enforcement. The Guard’s Drug Demand Reduction Outreach program visits schools across the state to educate students about opioid addiction and prevention. Since last October, the program has reached more than 112,000 students at 200 schools — a quiet, community-driven approach to a crisis that has devastated families statewide.
While the Trump administration has floated new deployments — including to San Francisco — local leaders have rejected the idea, saying state and city partnerships have already reduced crime. For Newsom, the message is simple: the Guard belongs to California, not Washington.
The fentanyl seizures are proof of that. They represent both a tangible victory against an ongoing epidemic and a symbolic one — a reaffirmation of state authority and local service in the face of federal overreach. In the end, the Guard’s return to California soil has brought the state more than seized drugs; it’s restored a measure of balance, autonomy, and trust.
