Federal authorities arrested 12 alleged members and associates of the 18th Street gang Thursday (March 5), saying the group ran a criminal network around Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park that mixed drug trafficking, illegal gambling, extortion, and violence.
Investigators say the operation functioned as both a narcotics marketplace and a hub for underground gambling tied to gang control of the neighborhood. The arrests stem from a sweeping federal investigation that produced seven grand jury indictments targeting people prosecutors believe played key roles in the gang’s activities.
Officials describe 18th Street as the largest street gang operating in Los Angeles. Prosecutors filed charges including racketeering conspiracy and murder, accusing members of enforcing the gang’s criminal enterprises through threats and violence.
According to investigators, MacArthur Park became a central base for those activities. Court documents say some gang members set up operations inside tents in the park, blending into the homeless population while selling drugs and coordinating other illegal business.
Authorities say the broader investigation uncovered large quantities of narcotics moving through the network. In total, agents seized more than 175 pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl during the case. On the day of the arrests, officers also recovered roughly $80,000 in cash, 10 pounds of fentanyl, five pounds of methamphetamine, and six firearms.
Seven Los Angeles-area defendants were named in the primary racketeering indictment. They include Keiko Marie Gonzalez, 59, also known as “Moms,” “La Señora,” and “La Reina,” along with Edward Escalante, Edward Alvarenga, George Carillo, Carlos Beltran, Felipe De Los Angeles, and Edwin Martinez.
Illegal gambling allegedly tied to 18th Street gang operations
Federal prosecutors say the gang’s enterprise stretched beyond drug sales and extortion. The indictment claims members also ran illegal gambling houses known as “casitas,” small underground gaming spots that prosecutors say generated steady income for the organization.
Underground gambling operations have surfaced repeatedly in federal organized crime cases in recent years. In one previously reported case, a gang figure was sentenced to nine years in prison for running illegal gambling and extortion schemes. Authorities have also linked gambling circles to violence, including a widely reported investigation involving a gambling ring allegedly connected to former NBA player Gilbert Arenas that later intersected with a murder case.
In the MacArthur Park case, prosecutors say Gonzalez served as the gang’s second-in-command and street boss. Court documents allege that from at least July 2020 through March 2026 she communicated directly with a Mexican Mafia member identified as “Co-Conspirator 1,” who authorities say held ultimate authority over the gang while incarcerated in a California state prison.
Prosecutors say Gonzalez helped manage day-to-day criminal activity, disciplined gang members, collected payments and fines, and ordered violent acts. She is also accused of directing drug trafficking and other operations tied to the group.
One killing outlined in the indictment is linked to the gang’s alleged extortion system. Prosecutors say Gonzalez ordered the murder of a victim identified as “M.Z.” on July 27, 2022 after the victim failed to pay required taxes on drug trafficking within gang territory. Carillo and Beltran are accused of carrying out the killing.
“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.
Robert Molvar, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said the case highlights the connection between organized gangs and narcotics distribution. “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.”
Six additional suspects remain fugitives. Authorities say one is believed to be in Mexico while another is thought to be in Guatemala.
Featured image: First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli via X