US authorities arrest 18 in MacArthur Park drug crackdown

Federal authorities have arrested 18 people in Los Angeles as part of a crackdown on drug trafficking around MacArthur Park, the Department of Justice said.

A total of 25 people have been charged in federal court with possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance.

Seven of the defendants have not been arrested and are being treated as fugitives, according to the US attorney's office in Los Angeles.

The investigation has been running since March and involved the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities said it focused on an open-air drug market near downtown Los Angeles.

The complaint alleges that two defendants, described as a couple, were among the main sources of fentanyl powder and methamphetamine in the area and were working on behalf of the 18th Street gang.

It also says they used their residence as a stash location and delivered narcotics to the Alvarado corridor for later distribution.

MacArthur Park has long been associated with fentanyl use, overdoses and homelessness, and has at times had large encampments of unhoused people.

The latest arrests are part of a wider effort to identify distributors, gather evidence and bring charges in federal court.

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