In a significant federal operation, a dozen individuals linked to a notorious Los Angeles street gang were apprehended, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California on Thursday.
Officials assert that these individuals have affiliations with 18th Street, the city’s largest street gang. The group allegedly eluded law enforcement by using tents to camouflage themselves among the homeless population. Investigations claim the gang was actively involved in drug trafficking across Los Angeles, focusing their activities in areas like MacArthur Park and Skid Row.
Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, stated, “Seven federal indictments have been issued against members of this gang. 18th Street has negatively impacted residents of MacArthur Park, transforming the area into a hub of crime and drug activity.”
The gang is accused of expanding into a substantial criminal enterprise with connections to the Mexican Mafia. The charges against them include murder, extortion, racketeering, conspiracy, and drug trafficking. Prosecutors noted that one member allegedly killed a drug dealer for not paying the gang’s extortion fees.
During “Operation Dead Horse,” authorities arrested at least 12 suspects. This operation also led to the capture of the gang’s purported street leader and second-in-command, Keiko Marie Gonzalez, known by the nickname “Moms,” who is 59 years old.
As part of the takedown known as “Operation Dead Horse,” authorities arrested the gang’s alleged street boss and second-in-command, Keiko Marie Gonzalez, 59, known as “Moms.”
Prosecutors say she communicated directly with an incarcerated Mexican Mafia member who maintained ultimate control over the 18th Street gang from a California state prison, acting as the critical link between the prison leadership and street-level operation.
Prosecutors say she held the authority to order the murders of her own gang members, rivals, and other drug traffickers. In July 2022, she called for the murder of a woman who failed to pay extortion “taxes” related to her drug trafficking activities within their territory.
18th Street gang traffics drugs across Los Angeles, operating in MacArthur Park and Skid Row. (@USAttyEssayli/X)
Two other members, George Carillo and Carlos Beltran, are also charged with murder in aid of racketeering for the killing.
Along with drug trafficking and murder, the gang ran illegal gambling establishments known as “casitas” and engaged in organized extortion.
Prosecutors said agents on Thursday seized roughly $80,000 in cash, six firearms, as well as several pounds of drugs. During the overall investigation, law enforcement recovered 175 pounds of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Mexican Mafia-affiliated 18th Street gang allegedly operated in homeless encampments to evade law enforcement. (@USAttyEssayli/X)
Six other suspects remain at large, authorities said. Two are believed to have fled internationally, one to Mexico and another to Guatemala.
Federal authorities seized several pounds of meth and fentanyl during Thursday’s operation. (@USAttyEssayli/X)
Five of the defendants arrested were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
If convicted, street boss Gonzalez faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and the accused shooters, Carillo and Beltran, face mandatory life sentences.
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