Federal Agents Arrest 18 in Operation Targeting Fentanyl Market at MacArthur Park

Federal agents raided a California park on Wednesday in a large-scale operation against an open-air drug market known for fentanyl and methamphetamine sales.

The sting, called Operation Free MacArthur Park, resulted in at least 18 arrests and the seizure of more than $10 million worth of fentanyl. Local and federal authorities collaborated on the effort, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said.

"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 sits west of downtown Los Angeles amid apartments and office complexes. It has a reputation as a hub for drug users buying narcotics.

A federal criminal complaint filed the same day charged 25 defendants with narcotics distribution and possession offenses. Authorities took 18 people into custody on drug charges.

One suspect, a Calabasas resident, was arrested after agents seized about 40 pounds of fentanyl at the person's home, federal prosecutors said.

The operation focused on the 18th Street gang and MS-13, which control areas in the park, authorities said.

The complaint accuses Los Angeles natives Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and her boyfriend Jackson Tarfur, 28, of supplying fentanyl powder and methamphetamine in the Alvarado Corridor and MacArthur Park for the 18th Street Gang. Prosecutors say the pair hand-delivered narcotics from their home to stash in storefronts near the park for street dealers.

Yolanda Iriarte-Avila, 40, allegedly supplied methamphetamine to the couple. Jesus Morales-Landel, 33, worked as a street-level dealer in the MacArthur Park area, according to authorities.

Over nearly six weeks starting in March, investigators documented 27 drug deals for fentanyl and methamphetamine in and around the park, prosecutors said.

If convicted, Moreno-Lopez, Tarfur, Iriarte-Avila and Morales-Landel face a minimum of 20 years in prison. The other suspects face up to 10 years.

The operation involved hundreds of members from the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division’s Southern California Drug Task Force, the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program and the Los Angeles Police Department, a U.S. Attorney's Office 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," said Anthony Chrysanthis, special agent in charge for the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division. "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."