18th Street gang members arrested in federal Los Angeles takedown
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced the arrest of a dozen alleged members and associates of a notorious Los Angeles street gang in a sweeping federal sting operation Thursday.
Authorities say the suspects are affiliated with 18th Street, the city’s largest street gang, which evades law enforcement by using tents to mingle with homeless people. Investigators allege the group trafficked drugs throughout Los Angeles, operating mostly in MacArthur Park and Skid Row.
“In total, seven federal indictments charge members of this gang,” said Bill Essayli, assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. “18th Street has harmed the residents of MacArthur Park and transformed the park into a crime-infested area filled with drug addicts and the criminals who enable them.”
It is alleged that the gang has developed into a major criminal organization with ties to the Mexican Mafia. Members face charges such as murder, extortion, blackmail, conspiracy and drug trafficking. In one instance, prosecutors said, a member killed a drug trafficker in retaliation for not paying the gang’s exorbitant “taxes.”
At least 12 suspects were arrested during “Operation Dead Horse” on Thursday. (@USAttyEssayli/X)
As part of what became known as “Operation Dead Horse,” authorities arrested the gang’s alleged street boss and second-in-command, 59-year-old Keiko Marie Gonzalez, also known as “Mothers.”
Prosecutors say he communicated directly from a California state prison with an incarcerated Mexican Mafia member who maintained ultimate control over the 18th Street gang and served as the critical link between prison leadership and the street-level operation.
Prosecutors say he had the authority to order the killings of his own gang members, rivals and other drug traffickers. In July 2022, he called for the murder of a woman who did not pay extortionate “taxes” related to drug trafficking activities on her territory.
SINALOA CARTEL FENTANIL PRODUCER ALLEGEDLY CHARGED IN NEWLY FILED US FEDERAL INDICTMENT
The 18th Street gang trafficks drugs in Los Angeles, operating in MacArthur Park and Skid Row. (@USAttyEssayli/X)
Two other members, George Carillo and Carlos Beltran, are also charged with murder with intent to blackmail for murder.
In addition to drug trafficking and murder, the gang operated illegal casinos known as “casitas” and engaged in organized extortion.
On Thursday, agents seized nearly $80,000 in cash, six firearms and several kilos of drugs, prosecutors said. During the overall investigation, law enforcement seized 175 pounds of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The 18th Street gang, affiliated with the Mexican Mafia, allegedly operates in homeless camps to evade law enforcement. (@USAttyEssayli/X)
Six other suspects remain at large, authorities said. Two of them are believed to have fled internationally, one to Mexico and the other to Guatemala.
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Federal authorities seized several kilograms of meth and fentanyl during Thursday’s operation. (@USAttyEssayli/X)
Five of the arrested defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Street boss Gonzalez faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, while attackers Carillo and Beltran face mandatory life sentences.
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