Authorities in Los Angeles moved to reclaim MacArthur Park Thursday, announcing the arrest of 12 members and associates of the 18th Street gang. The massive sweep targeted a criminal enterprise that federal prosecutors say transformed the public park into a fortified, open-air drug market where traffickers used tents to hide their activities among the local homeless population.
A seven-count federal indictment alleges the gang used violence and extortion to maintain a grip on the area. Investigators seized 10 pounds of fentanyl, five pounds of methamphetamine, and six firearms during today’s operations alone. This follows a longer investigation that had already netted more than 175 pounds of combined narcotics. Law enforcement also recovered $80,000 in cash during the morning raids.
Among those charged is 59-year-old Keiko Marie Gonzalez, known by aliases including “Moms” and “La Reina.” Prosecutors identify her as the street boss who managed the gang’s daily operations under the direction of an unidentified Mexican Mafia member currently serving time in a California state prison. Gonzalez is accused of overseeing “taxes” collected from drug dealers and ordering the 2022 murder of a trafficker, identified as “M.Z.,” who reportedly failed to pay the gang for the right to operate in their territory.
“For far too long, 18th Street and other criminals have been allowed to turn one of the city’s most beautiful public spaces into a crime-infested pit,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “That ends today.”
The 18th Street gang is a transnational organization with an estimated 100,000 members. According to the indictment, the group used MacArthur Park and parts of Skid Row as primary hubs for selling fentanyl and methamphetamine. The “tented” strategy allowed members to blend into the landscape, making it difficult for police to distinguish between vulnerable residents and active drug dealers.
“The distribution of illegal narcotics in our communities is unacceptable, as is the associated violent crime,” stated Robert Molvar, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. He noted that the investigation aims to send a message to both the street-level members and their “Mexican Mafia overlords.”
Six individuals remain at large, with officials believing one has fled to Mexico and another to Guatemala. Five of the defendants arrested this morning are scheduled for their initial court appearances in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon.
If convicted, the legal stakes are high. George Carillo, 60, and Carlos Beltran, 48, face mandatory life sentences for their alleged roles in the murder of M.Z. Gonzalez also faces a maximum of life in prison. Other defendants face sentences ranging from 10 years to 40 years for charges including racketeering conspiracy and extortion.
The multi-agency investigation involved the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the LAPD. Officials emphasized that the goal is not just making arrests, but dismantling the financial structures that allow the gang to profit from the community. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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