18 Arrested in MacArthur Park Drug Raid

Federal and local law enforcement agencies conducted a large-scale operation on Wednesday targeting an open-air drug market in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park area, arresting 18 people on charges related to distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine.

The effort, dubbed Operation Free MacArthur Park, involved serving 25 arrest warrants and nine search warrants, six of which targeted businesses across from the park near Wilshire Boulevard and Sixth Street. Authorities closed multiple streets during the raids, which drew hundreds of officers, including more than 200 from the Drug Enforcement Administration and 70 from the Los Angeles Police Department. Video footage showed law enforcement vehicles surrounding the area and officers using tools to breach business walls.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the operation aimed to address drug operations that had stored narcotics in nearby storefronts for distribution to street-level dealers. Among those arrested were Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and Jackson Tarfur, 28, from the Westmont area of South Los Angeles, whom prosecutors identified as main suppliers of fentanyl powder and methamphetamine to the MacArthur Park and Alvarado...