Federal drug sweep targets alleged sales around MacArthur Park
Federal authorities said they arrested 18 people on charges related to selling illicit drugs including fentanyl and methamphetamine around MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, describing the park as a densely populated area west of downtown where drug distribution has played out alongside everyday community activity. The arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney’s Office officials during a news conference on May 6, following raids conducted in the park area and other locations in Southern California.
Officials said the operation focused on a network alleged to distribute narcotics from a storefront to street-level dealers. They said the drugs included fentanyl and methamphetamine and that the park and nearby streets are part of heavily contested gang territory, with federal officials describing the area as a place where outreach teams also operate and where open-air drug use has been reported in recent years.
At the news conference, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, “We’re here today because California policy has failed. MacArthur Park should be for families, should be for residents of Los Angeles, not for drug dealers and gangsters.” Essayli announced the arrests alongside officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Police Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said investigators seized 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of fentanyl from a single home during the raids. Officials said Moreno-Lopez and Tarfur, a couple from South Los Angeles, were believed to be the main sources of the fentanyl and other drugs sold in the park, with prosecutors alleging the drugs were generally provided on behalf of the 18th Street Gang.
According to a criminal complaint, Moreno-Lopez and Tarfur allegedly hand-delivered narcotics to a storefront on the Alvarado corridor, which prosecutors described as the eastern border of the park and a street where many drug transactions were said to take place. The complaint said other defendants were surveilled and arrested after selling drugs to undercover federal agents.
Moreno-Lopez and Tarfur had not been assigned attorneys in court yet, and officials said they could not be reached for comment. Aerial television footage showed federal agents gathered outside a strip of businesses across from the park, and Essayli’s office posted video on X showing LAPD officers assisting with the effort and a home in a residential neighborhood being raided.
Officials said the operation involved more than 200 personnel from the DEA. Essayli said the broader struggles in the area reflect failed California policies, including lax consequences for drug users and programs that include handing out clean needles and Narcan, a life-saving medication for fentanyl overdose.
Anthony Chrysanthis, the DEA special agent in charge in Los Angeles, said investigators targeted the Sinaloa Cartel as suppliers for fentanyl and methamphetamine in the area. Chrysanthis said the operation began Tuesday night, with three warrants executed in the morning at residences in other locations in Southern California, and six warrants served at businesses found to be selling narcotics in MacArthur Park.
Authorities said the defendants are scheduled to appear in court Thursday, and Essayli’s office said seven others remained fugitives as of the announcement. The city of Los Angeles has also recently announced plans to improve MacArthur Park, including capturing rainstorm runoff into the lake and adding new landscaping, walking paths and other features.