California Governor Doubles National Guard Troops to Curb Fentanyl Trafficking

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he is increasing the state National Guard presence in California to combat illicit drug trafficking. In a post on social media Thursday, the Democratic governor, who was speaking near a U.S.–Mexico border crossing area, said that the state “doubled our National Guard” statewide “to stop the flow of fentanyl,” a synthetic opioid drug that has been blamed for a rash in U.S. overdose deaths in recent years. “Our top priority is the safety of our communities statewide,” Mr. Newsom said in a news release regarding the move. “By working with state, local, and federal partners to take down transnational organizations and the illegal drugs they attempt to bring into our state, the state’s Counter Drug Taskforce is making a profound difference to hold smugglers accountable and take deadly drugs off our streets.”...