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Feds Arrest 12 in 18th Street Gang Takedown Focused on MacArthur Park

Prosecutors say the gang ran the park as an open-air drug market under orders relayed from a Mexican Mafia member in prison.

Overview

  • Seven indictments name 14 defendants on racketeering, murder, drug-trafficking and extortion charges tied to drug sales, illegal gambling "casitas" and enforced "taxes."
  • Authorities are seeking six fugitives, with one believed to be in Mexico and another in Guatemala.
  • Keiko Marie Gonzalez, known as "Moms," is charged as the alleged street boss accused of ordering a 2022 killing and directing discipline and collections for the enterprise.
  • Operation Dead Horse, a multi-year effort by the FBI, DEA, LAPD and other partners, featured pre-dawn raids and search warrants across Los Angeles, including Skid Row, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley.
  • Investigators seized more than 175 pounds of fentanyl and meth during the case and, on Thursday, recovered about $80,000 in cash, six firearms, 10 pounds of fentanyl and five pounds of meth.