Twelve individuals associated with the 18th Street gang, described as Los Angeles’s largest street gang, were arrested on charges including murder, extortion, and drug trafficking in the MacArthur Park area. Authorities allege that the gang used tents to blend in with the homeless population and operated MacArthur Park as an open-air drug marketplace.
Five of those arrested are expected to appear for arraignment in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. Law enforcement officials reported seizing over 175 pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl during the investigation. On the day of the arrests, they confiscated approximately $80,000 in cash, 10 pounds of fentanyl, five pounds of methamphetamine, and six firearms.
Seven federal grand jury indictments have been issued against members and associates of 18th Street. The main indictment names seven individuals based in Los Angeles: Keiko Marie Gonzalez (also known as “Moms,” “La Señora,” and “La Reina”), Edward Escalante (“Toro”), Edward Alvarenga (“Tito”), George Carillo (“Chuco”), Carlos Beltran (“Negro”), Felipe De Los Angeles (“Indio”), and Edwin Martinez (“Dreamer”). Six fugitives remain at large; one is believed to be in Mexico and another in Guatemala.
“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. That ends today,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “We are committed to eliminating violent organized crime and open-air drug markets from Los Angeles.”
Robert Molvar, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, stated: “The distribution of illegal narcotics in our communities is unacceptable, as is the associated violent crime that many times affects innocent residents. This investigation should send a message to 18th Street Gang members and their Mexican Mafia overlords that we’re going to continue to work with our law enforcement partners to target those responsible for the distribution of illegal narcotics which enrich the gang while they prey on and poison members of our community.”
According to prosecutors, 18th Street began as a Mexican-American street gang but has grown into a transnational organization with more than 100,000 members across several countries. The group allegedly controls neighborhoods around Los Angeles including MacArthur Park and Skid Row through violence or threats.
The indictment claims that “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.” It further alleges that “18th Street also controlled a substantial portion of the drug trafficking activities in the Skid Row area of Downtown Los Angeles.”
The gang reportedly maintains its territory through violence against rivals or others who do not comply with its demands. It is also accused of operating illegal gambling establishments known as casitas and collecting extortionate taxes from local traffickers.
Authorities say that 18th Street is affiliated with the Mexican Mafia prison gang. An unindicted co-conspirator referred to as “Co-Conspirator 1” is identified as an inmate at a California state prison who maintained ultimate control over 18th Street operations.
From July 2020 until March 2026, Gonzalez allegedly acted as second-in-command for 18th Street on behalf of Co-Conspirator 1—overseeing criminal activity, collecting payments from members or associates, disciplining members, ordering murders within or outside the group’s ranks when necessary, directing drug trafficking operations, violent acts, and other crimes.
On July 27, 2022, according to authorities, Gonzalez ordered a murder after a victim failed to pay extortion taxes on her drug activities within gang territory. The victim was shot dead; Carillo and Beltran face charges related to this killing.
Gonzalez along with Escalante, Alvarenga, and De Los Angeles are charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion under federal law (Hobbs Act). Escalante faces additional counts related to attempted extortion and distributing nearly two pounds of methamphetamine.
Anthony Chrysanthis from DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division commented: “Gang criminals and drug peddlers have been exploiting the MacArthur Park community for far too long… We want to return MacArthur Park back to the community.”
Tyler Hatcher from IRS-CI said: “This indictment exposes a criminal enterprise that relied on illegal activities that generated steady illicit income… By uncovering the financial structure that supported this organization, we are helping dismantle the network that allowed it to operate and profit at the expense of our communities. IRS CI will continue to use our financial expertise to ensure that violent gangs cannot hide their proceeds and cannot use those profits to fuel further harm.”
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. If convicted on all counts: Carillo and Beltran face mandatory life sentences; Gonzalez could receive up to life imprisonment; Alvarenga faces up to forty years; De Los Angeles and Martinez up twenty years each; Escalante faces between ten years minimum up-to-life imprisonment.
Multiple agencies participated in this case including FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; IRS Criminal Investigation; LAPD—with support from LA County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe (Major Crimes Section) and Daniel H. Weiner (Transnational Organized Crime Section) are prosecuting these cases.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California supports community outreach programs focused on victim assistance alongside public education initiatives (official website). Serving more than nineteen million residents across seven counties (official website), this office prosecutes federal criminal cases while handling civil matters involving government interests (official website). E. Martin Estrada serves as United States Attorney for this district (official website), working closely with federal, state—and local—law enforcement partners (official website).
