Operation Free MacArthur Park: 200 DEA + 70 LAPD Personnel Hit 18th Street Gang Fentanyl Pipeline Across LA
Source: X | Acting AG Todd Blanche
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In a coordinated pre-dawn operation on Wednesday, May 6, roughly 200 DEA personnel and 70 LAPD officers executed simultaneous raids at MacArthur Park, South Los Angeles, Calabasas, and San Gabriel, arresting at least 18 alleged 18th Street Gang associates and seizing approximately 18 to 19 kilograms of fentanyl with an estimated street value of $8 million to $10 million plus methamphetamine. Federal authorities described the targets as a primary supply node for the Sinaloa Cartel inside the Alvarado Corridor open-air drug market.
ANALYSIS
Operational details and downstream considerations:
Lead defendants Mallaly Moreno-Lopez (31) and Jackson Tarfur (28) of Westmont in South LA are described by DEA as among the principal sources of fentanyl powder and methamphetamine moving through the Alvarado Corridor.
The 18th Street Gang is functioning as the local distribution ring for Sinaloa Cartel product, in continued conflict with rival MS-13 in the same corridor.
DEA cited a multi-month undercover investigation as the source of probable cause for the indictments; some defendants are expected to face life-eligible federal charges.
The operation builds directly on the March 6, 2026 18th Street takedown that charged a separate set of associates with murder, extortion, and trafficking in the same MacArthur Park area.
The impactt of this operation will be felt regionally and potentially all across the U.S. There will likely be a internal fighting as factions attempt to fill the leadership vacuum while rivals will almost certainly attempt to seize contested territories
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