Feds sweep into MacArthur Park targeting 'open-air drug market'

Key Points:

• Federal and local authorities arrested 18 people in a sweep called "Operation Free MacArthur Park," targeting an open-air drug market in MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, with 25 defendants facing federal drug distribution charges and seven fugitives still at large.
• The operation focused on dismantling key suppliers of fentanyl and methamphetamine linked to the 18th Street Gang, including a Calabasas resident considered the park’s top drug trafficker, who now faces up to life in prison.
• Authorities served six warrants at businesses along the Alvarado corridor, where narcotics were allegedly distributed, and conducted a large-scale raid involving dozens of armed federal agents, LAPD officers, and tactical vehicles.
• Officials emphasized that the operation is part of an ongoing effort to reclaim the park for residents and families, with the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security committed to removing drug traffickers and gang influence from the area.
• This crackdown follows previous enforcement actions, including a March arrest of 18th Street gang members accused of controlling the park as an open-air drug marketplace, highlighting continued efforts to restore safety and community well-being.