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According to the Justice Department "MacArthur Park served as an open-air marketplace for drug trafficking by 18th Streeters, many of whom operated within tents to conceal the nature of their drug trafficking and to avoid law enforcement detection,” the indictment alleges. “18th Street also controlled a substantial portion of the drug trafficking activities in the Skid Row area of Downtown Los Angeles.”
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
According to the FBI post on social media:
Following the arrest of 12 members and associates of the 18th Street transnational gang, the FBI and our law enforcement partners are seeking six fugitives, four of whom are believed to be in the United States and two of whom are believed to be in Mexico and Guatemala, respectively.
The list of those six arrested according to the FBI Facebook post and the seven federal grand jury indictments returned against members and associates of 18th Street overlapped. The Justice Department also noted "Law enforcement is looking for six fugitives in this matter. One fugitive is believed to be in Mexico and another is believed to be in Guatemala."
- Carlos Beltran, aka, "Negro" (FBI & Justice Dept.)
- Darwin Hernandez, aka, "Alan" (FBI)
- Edward Alvarenga, aka, "Tito" (FBI & Justice Dept.)
- Edward Escalante, 49, a.k.a. “Toro,” (Justice Dept)
- Edwin Martinez, 32, a.k.a. “Dreamer” (Justice Dept)
- Felipe De Los Angeles, aka, "Indio" (FBI & Justice Dept.)
- George Carillo, 60, a.k.a. “Chuco,” (Justice Dept)
- Keiko Marie Gonzalez, 59, a.k.a. “Moms,” “La Señora,” and “La Reina,” (Justice Dept)
- Luis Recio, aka, "Cuba" (FBI)
- Michael Martinez Rodriguez (FBI)
"If convicted, Carillo and Beltran would face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, Gonzalez would face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, Alvarenga would face up to 40 years in federal prison, De Los Angeles and Martinez would face up to 20 years in federal prison, and Escalante would face a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison."
The basis for Federal law enforcement today at MacArthur Park was a federal case alleging:
- Racketeering
- Extortion
- Drug trafficking - including "open air" trafficking
- A 2022 murder connected to the park
- Keiko Gonzalez (59)— also known as La Señora and La Reina — is accused of ordering the 2022 murder of a drug dealer who didn't pay "taxes"
- Los Angeles Police LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said "It is Keiko that functioned as the de facto leader of the 18th Street gang,"
- Keiko's husband, Jorge Gonzales, is currently in a California State Prison. According to the Justice Department press release "18th Street is affiliated with the Mexican Mafia prison gang and the Mexican Mafia member who maintained ultimate control over 18th Street is an unindicted co-conspirator – identified in the indictment as “Co-Conspirator 1” – who is an inmate at a California state prison.
According to the indictment, 18th Street is historically a Mexican-American street gang that has grown into a transnational gang with more than 100,000 members within the United States, and operates across Mexico, Central and South America, and elsewhere. 18th Street controls numerous neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles, including MacArthur Park and its surrounding blocks.
Previously on June 16, 2025 there was arrests of eight members and associates of the Transnational 18th Street gang in Queens, New York, charged with Racketeering Crimes. . Eight Members and Associates of the Transnational 18th Street Gang Charged with Racketeering Crimes in Queens | United States Secret Service
Previous Federal indictments involving the Mexican Mafia include 19 members or associates of the Mexican Mafia on June 18, 2025. They were charged in murder conspiracy targeting a well-known rapper by the FBI
The July 7th, 2025 presence of Federal troops at MacArthur Park, which led to anti-Ice protests, included:
- 17 Humvees
- 4 tactical vehicles
- 2 ambulances
- 90 National Guard troops
Edit - title and inserted video link
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