A group of bipartisan California state senators are working on a new bill called 'Working Together for a Safer California' to address the state's retail theft problem and fentanyl crisis. This initiative comes at a time when California is experiencing a surge in migrants crossing the border. Recently, Border Patrol agents made a significant discovery in the San Diego Border Patrol sector, seizing fentanyl pills with a street value of over $11 million.
The seized drugs, weighing approximately 123.6 pounds, included more than 561,000 fentanyl pills hidden in a vehicle at California's San Ysidro Port of Entry. The District Attorney highlighted the lethal potential of fentanyl, noting that just one kilogram of the substance could kill half a million people. Last week, border agents also confiscated an estimated $130,000 worth of fentanyl pills at an immigration checkpoint in the El Centro Border Patrol sector.
To combat these challenges, a bipartisan group of California senators has introduced a legislative package focusing on retail theft and the fentanyl crisis. The state has witnessed over 12,000 drug overdose deaths annually, with more than half attributed to fentanyl. In response, lawmakers have allocated over $30 million in the past two years to the counter drug task force, which includes the California National Guard and various law enforcement agencies.
In 2022, the task force successfully recovered $969 billion worth of illegal street drugs, with 20% of the haul comprising fentanyl. If the proposed bipartisan legislation is enacted, it aims to enhance access to addiction treatment and drug prevention programs as part of a comprehensive strategy to combat the fentanyl crisis.
