Federal prosecutors charged 25 people Wednesday in a sweeping drug trafficking operation targeting what they called an "open-air drug market" at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, with 18 defendants already in custody by midday.
Authorities executed 25 arrest warrants and eight search warrants, including six targeting businesses surrounding the park, which sits west of downtown Los Angeles. The operation began Tuesday night with arrests at homes before expanding to search warrants at businesses Wednesday morning.
At the home of one defendant, law enforcement seized approximately 40 pounds of fentanyl. The complaint affidavit alleges more than two dozen fentanyl and methamphetamine deals took place in and around the park between March 9 and April 15.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, whose office is prosecuting the case, described the scope in blunt terms at a Wednesday press briefing. "Today, we begin reclaiming MacArthur Park from criminals and drug addicts to return this public space to the citizens of Los Angeles," Essayli said. Those charged include, in his words, "the street dealers and the suppliers who've been selling drugs openly here at MacArthur Park."
Two defendants are believed to be the main sources of fentanyl and methamphetamine distributed inside the park. According to the complaint, the pair acted on behalf of the 18th Street Gang and used nearby businesses to store and stash drugs before street-level dealers distributed them. The U.S. Attorney's office described the park and surrounding area as "heavily contested gang territory."
The operation follows a March federal arrest of 18th Street Gang leadership on charges alleging the gang controlled MacArthur Park as an open-air drug marketplace. Prosecutors said gang members used tents to avoid police detection and blend in with the homeless population in the park.
All 25 defendants face charges of intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance. The 300 law enforcement personnel involved in the operation were still active Wednesday, and Essayli made clear the effort would not stop with this round of arrests. "This is not a one-and-done operation," he said. "We have 300 law enforcement personnel on this operation, and they're not going anywhere. And we've got bigger guns than the gangsters, so we're not going anywhere."
