DEA targets 18th Street gang and MS-13 in MacArthur Park drug raid
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Federal agents descended on a California park on Wednesday as part of a sweeping operation targeting an open-air drug market notorious for dealing fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The attack, dubbed “Operation Free MacArthur Park,” led to the arrest of at least 18 people and the seizure of more than $10 million worth of fentanyl in a massive joint effort between local and federal authorities, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
“Today, we begin taking back MacArthur Park from criminals and drug addicts to return this public space to the citizens of Los Angeles,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Together with our federal and local law enforcement partners, we are executing numerous arrest and search warrants targeting those distributing drugs in and around the park.”
MacArthur Park, located west of downtown Los Angeles, is known as a hotbed of drug users looking to buy narcotics, even though it is surrounded by apartment buildings and office complexes.
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Authorities conduct a sweep at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, California, on May 6, 2026, as part of a joint federal and local effort to dismantle an open-air drug market. (Fox News)
On the day of the operation, a comprehensive federal criminal complaint was filed against 25 defendants alleging narcotics distribution and possession, and authorities have already detained 18 people on drug-related charges.
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A suspect identified only as a Calabasas resident was arrested after authorities seized approximately 40 kilograms of fentanyl from his home, according to federal prosecutors.
Authorities said the operation was also attributed to a crackdown on the notorious 18th Street gang and MS-13, which control areas within the park.
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Authorities conduct a sweep at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, California, on May 6, 2026, as part of a joint federal and local effort to dismantle an open-air drug market. (Fox News)
The federal complaint alleges that Los Angeles natives Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and her boyfriend, Jackson Tarfur, 28, “often served on behalf of the 18th Street Gang, although it was not one of the primary sources of fentanyl powder and methamphetamine distributed in the Alvarado Corridor and MacArthur Park.”
According to prosecutors, Moreno-Lopez and Tarfur allegedly “hand-delivered” narcotics stored at their homes to the Alvarado Corridor near MacArthur Park with the intention of hiding the drugs in store fronts and distributing them to street-level dealers.
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Authorities seized more than $10 million worth of fentanyl during Operation Free MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, California, on May 6, 2026. (Fox News)
Authorities also allege that 40-year-old Yolanda Iriarte-Avila served as a methamphetamine supplier to the couple, and 33-year-old Jesus Morales-Landel also worked as a street-level drug dealer in the MacArthur Park area.
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Over about six weeks starting in March, investigators collected evidence of 27 separate drug sales of fentanyl and methamphetamine in and around the park, federal prosecutors said.
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Federal agents converge on MacArthur Park in Los Angeles during a large-scale anti-drug operation targeting the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine on May 6, 2026. (Fox News)
Moreno-Lopez, Tarfur, Iriarte-Avila and Morales-Landel face at least 20 years in prison if convicted, while other unnamed people detained could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for additional comment.
The operation was conducted in coordination with hundreds of members of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division Southern California Drug Task Force (SCDTF), a DEA-led multi-agency task force under the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program, and the Los Angeles Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Authorities conduct a sweep at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, California, on May 6, 2026, as part of a joint federal and local effort to dismantle an open-air drug market. (Fox News)
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“Today’s operation is just one step by a handful of agencies working hard to ease the burden on MacArthur Park, local businesses and surrounding neighborhoods,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Field Division. “While this is an anti-drug operation, it is also an effort to restore safety and health and return MacArthur Park to the community.”
