Los Angeles police, DEA conducting major drug operation at MacArthur Park ahead of 2026 World Cup
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The Los Angeles Police Department, alongside Drug Enforcement Administration agents, is conducting a major operation at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles.
Police say they’re focusing on identifying illegal drug and criminal activity. LAPD said that this is not an immigration operation.
Video from the scene showed at least two people detained by police.
This is the second phase of what authorities are calling “Free MacArthur Park,” an effort to clean up the area ahead of the World Cup and aims to address what the DOJ described as an open-air drug market running rampant in the park, involving massive amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Thursday’s operation is also a continuation of a drug raid in May that focused mainly on MacArthur Park but also included arrests in Calabasas, San Gabriel and South L.A., according to the DEA.
Law enforcement arrested 18 people in that raid, including two who they believe are the main sources of fentanyl and methamphetamine in MacArthur Park.
The 18 suspects were arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging them with a federal drug trafficking offense, the Department of Justice announced. The complaint charges 25 defendants with possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance.
As part of the arrests made in those cities, agents seized nearly 19 kilograms of fentanyl, worth about $8 million to $10 million, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, adding that he believes these drugs are from the Sinaloa cartel.
This is a developing story. This article will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
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