Feds seize mountain of fentanyl from 'open-air drug market' in massive crackdown targeting gang crews
Federal agents swarmed a California park Wednesday as part of a sweeping operation targeting an infamous open-air drug market notorious for peddling fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The sting, dubbed "Operation Free MacArthur Park," led to at least 18 arrests and more than $10 million worth of fentanyl seized in a massive joint effort between local and federal authorities, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
"Today, we begin reclaiming MacArthur Park from criminals and drug addicts to return this public space to the citizens of Los Angeles," First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said. "Together with our federal and local law enforcement partners, we are executing multiple arrest and search warrants targeting those who are distributing drugs in and around the park."
MacArthur Park, located west of downtown Los Angeles, is known as a hotbed for drug users looking to purchase narcotics despite being surrounded by apartments and office complexes.
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A sweeping federal criminal complaint alleging narcotics distribution and possession offenses was filed against 25 defendants on the same day the operation was carried out, with authorities already taking 18 individuals into custody on drug-related charges.
One suspect, identified only as a Calabasas resident, was arrested after authorities seized approximately 40 pounds of fentanyl at their home, according to federal prosecutors.
The operation was also attributed to a crackdown on the notorious 18th Street gang and MS-13, both of which control territories within the park, authorities said.
The federal complaint alleges that Los Angeles natives Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and her boyfriend, Jackson Tarfur, 28, "serve as the, if not one of the main sources of supply of fentanyl powder and methamphetamine distributed in the Alvarado Corridor and MacArthur Park, generally on behalf of the 18th Street Gang."
According to prosecutors, Moreno-Lopez and Tarfur allegedly "hand-delivered" narcotics stored at their home to the Alvarado Corridor near MacArthur Park in an effort to stash the drugs in storefronts and distribute to street-level dealers.
Authorities also allege Yolanda Iriarte-Avila, 40, served as a supplier of methamphetamine to the couple, and Jesus Morales-Landel, 33, worked as a street-level drug dealer in the MacArthur Park area.
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Over a nearly six weeks beginning in March, investigators gathered evidence of 27 separate drug deals for fentanyl and methamphetamine transpiring both in and around the park, federal prosecutors said.
If convicted, Moreno-Lopez, Tarfur, Iriarte-Avila and Morales-Landel face a minimum of 20 years behind bars, while the other unnamed individuals taken into custody could be given a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for additional comment.
The operation was carried out in 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 force within the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program and the Los Angeles Police Department, a U.S. Attorney's Office news release said.
"Today’s operation is only one step, taken by a handful of agencies working hard to alleviate the anguish and sense of hopelessness burdening MacArthur Park, local businesses, and the surrounding neighborhood," Anthony Chrysanthis, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Field Division, said. "While this is a drug enforcement operation, it is also an effort to restore safety and wellness, and to return MacArthur Park back to the community."