Feds seize mountain of fentanyl from 'open-air drug market' in massive crackdown targeting gang crews

Federal agents swarmed a California parkland Wednesday arsenic portion of a sweeping cognition targeting an infamous open-air cause marketplace notorious for peddling fentanyl and methamphetamine. 

The sting, dubbed "Operation Free MacArthur Park," led to astatine slightest 18 arrests and much than $10 cardinal worthy of fentanyl seized successful a monolithic associated effort betwixt section and national authorities, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

"Today, we statesman reclaiming MacArthur Park from criminals and cause addicts to instrumentality this nationalist abstraction to the citizens of Los Angeles," First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said. "Together with our national and section instrumentality enforcement partners, we are executing aggregate apprehension and hunt warrants targeting those who are distributing drugs successful and astir the park."

MacArthur Park, located westbound of downtown Los Angeles, is known arsenic a hotbed for cause users looking to acquisition narcotics contempt being surrounded by apartments and bureau complexes.

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Authorities behaviour a expanse of MacArthur Park successful Los Angeles, California, connected May 6, 2026, arsenic portion of a associated national and section effort to dismantle an open-air cause market. (Fox News)

A sweeping national transgression ailment alleging narcotics organisation and possession offenses was filed against 25 defendants connected the aforesaid time the cognition was carried out, with authorities already taking 18 individuals into custody connected drug-related charges.

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One suspect, identified lone arsenic a Calabasas resident, was arrested aft authorities seized astir 40 pounds of fentanyl astatine their home, according to national prosecutors. 

The cognition was besides attributed to a crackdown connected the notorious 18th Street pack and MS-13, some of which power territories wrong the park, authorities said.

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Authorities behaviour a expanse of MacArthur Park successful Los Angeles, California, connected May 6, 2026, arsenic portion of a associated national and section effort to dismantle an open-air cause market. (Fox News)

The national ailment alleges that Los Angeles natives Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and her boyfriend, Jackson Tarfur, 28, "serve arsenic the, if not 1 of the main sources of proviso of fentanyl pulverization and methamphetamine distributed successful the Alvarado Corridor and MacArthur Park, mostly connected behalf of the 18th Street Gang."

According to prosecutors, Moreno-Lopez and Tarfur allegedly "hand-delivered" narcotics stored astatine their location to the Alvarado Corridor adjacent MacArthur Park successful an effort to stash the drugs successful storefronts and administer to street-level dealers.

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Authorities seized much than $10 cardinal worthy of fentanyl during Operation Free MacArthur Park successful Los Angeles, California, connected May 6, 2026. (Fox News)

Authorities besides allege Yolanda Iriarte-Avila, 40, served arsenic a supplier of methamphetamine to the couple, and Jesus Morales-Landel, 33, worked arsenic a street-level cause trader successful the MacArthur Park area.

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Over a astir six weeks opening successful March, investigators gathered grounds of 27 abstracted cause deals for fentanyl and methamphetamine transpiring some successful and astir the park, national prosecutors said.

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Federal agents stitchery astatine MacArthur Park successful Los Angeles during a large-scale cause enforcement cognition targeting fentanyl and methamphetamine organisation connected May 6, 2026. (Fox News)

If convicted, Moreno-Lopez, Tarfur, Iriarte-Avila and Morales-Landel look a minimum of 20 years down bars, portion the different unnamed individuals taken into custody could beryllium fixed a maximum condemnation of 10 years. 

Fox News Digital reached retired to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for further comment. 

The cognition was carried retired successful coordination with hundreds of members of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division’s Southern California Drug Task Force (SCDTF), a DEA-led multi-agency task unit wrong the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program and the Los Angeles Police Department, a U.S. Attorney's Office quality merchandise said.

Authorities behaviour a expanse of MacArthur Park successful Los Angeles, California, connected May 6, 2026, arsenic portion of a associated national and section effort to dismantle an open-air cause market. (Fox News)

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"Today’s cognition is lone 1 step, taken by a fistful of agencies moving hard to alleviate the anguish and consciousness of hopelessness burdening MacArthur Park, section businesses, and the surrounding neighborhood," Anthony Chrysanthis, Special Agent successful Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Field Division, said. "While this is simply a cause enforcement operation, it is besides an effort to reconstruct information and wellness, and to instrumentality MacArthur Park backmost to the community."