Overview
- The DEA-led Operation Free MacArthur Park, which unfolded Wednesday, involved hundreds of federal and LAPD personnel and resulted in 18 arrests during coordinated raids near 6th and Alvarado.
- A federal complaint names 25 defendants on distribution charges, and seven remain at large as agents execute additional search and arrest warrants across Southern California.
- Agents seized about 40 pounds of fentanyl at a Calabasas home and say two alleged suppliers, Mallaly Moreno-Lopez and Jackson Tarfur, used a South Los Angeles stash house to feed dealers near the park.
- Prosecutors and the DEA describe a network tied to local gangs including 18th Street, MS-13 and Crazy Riders, with investigators also targeting Sinaloa Cartel sourcing for fentanyl and meth.
- The crackdown has renewed a local fight over syringe distribution in the park and wider harm‑reduction policies, as nearby business owners and police press for ongoing enforcement to make the area safer for residents.