[FoxNews] Authorities allege 18th Street gang and MS-13 control territories within MacArthur Park used for open-air drug sales
Federal agents swarmed a California park Wednesday as part of a sweeping operation targeting an infamous open-air drug market notorious for peddling fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The sting, dubbed "Operation Free MacArthur Park," led to at least 18 arrests and more than $10 million worth of fentanyl seized in a massive joint effort between local and federal authorities, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
"Today, we begin reclaiming MacArthur Park from criminals and drug addicts to return this public space to the citizens of Los Angeles," First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said. "Together with our federal and local law enforcement partners, we are executing multiple arrest and search warrants targeting those who are distributing drugs in and around the park."
MacArthur Park, located west of downtown Los Angeles, is known as a hotbed for drug users looking to purchase narcotics despite being surrounded by apartments and office complexes.
A sweeping federal criminal complaint alleging narcotics distribution and possession offenses was filed against 25 defendants on the same day the operation was carried out, with authorities already taking 18 individuals into custody on drug-related charges.
One suspect, identified only as a Calabasas resident, was arrested after authorities seized approximately 40 pounds of fentanyl at their home, according to federal prosecutors.
The operation was also attributed to a crackdown on the notorious 18th Street gang and MS-13, both of which control territories within the park, authorities said.
The federal complaint alleges that Los Angeles natives Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and her boyfriend, Jackson Tarfur, 28, "serve as the, if not one of the main sources of supply of fentanyl powder and methamphetamine distributed in the Alvarado Corridor and MacArthur Park, generally on behalf of the 18th Street Gang."
According to prosecutors, Moreno-Lopez and Tarfur allegedly "hand-delivered" narcotics stored at their home to the Alvarado Corridor near MacArthur Park in an effort to stash the drugs in storefronts and distribute to street-level dealers.
Authorities also allege Yolanda Iriarte-Avila, 40, served as a supplier of methamphetamine to the couple, and Jesus Morales-Landel, 33, worked as a street-level drug dealer in the MacArthur Park area.
Over a nearly six weeks beginning in March, investigators gathered evidence of 27 separate drug deals for fentanyl and methamphetamine transpiring both in and around the park, federal prosecutors said.
If convicted, Moreno-Lopez, Tarfur, Iriarte-Avila and Morales-Landel face a minimum of 20 years behind bars, while the other unnamed individuals taken into custody could be given a maximum sentence of 10 years.
#1
Given the actions of the mayor, I would classify 'aiding and abetting' to be appropriate. The federal area covers the whole state, get a jury in a red county.
Mali 🇲🇱 | Le 05/05, les terroristes du JNIM franchissent une nouvelle étape dans le blocus de Bamako. 🔸 En effet, si jusqu'à présent les terroristes ne faisaient que bloquer les véhicules et les obligeaient à faire demi-tour, depuis hier certains véhicules sont incendiés (📽️ en… https://t.co/MG3I4SBiM2pic.twitter.com/I7gbf3hJfe
Mali 🇲🇱 | On 05/05, JNIM terrorists cross a new threshold in the blockade of Bamako.
🔸 Indeed, while up until now the terrorists had only been blocking vehicles and forcing them to turn back, since yesterday some vehicles have been set on fire (📽️ in the first comment).
🔹 On 05/05, Senegalese trucks 🇸🇳 were set on fire between Kayes and Bamako (western axis). One driver was unfortunately injured and evacuated.
🔹 On 06/05, five Moroccan freight transport trucks 🇲🇦 were attacked and set on fire between Bougouni and Bamako (southern axis).
ℹ️ The blockade is already being felt in Bamako and its surroundings. The price of fuel and basic goods is rising sharply. For example, the price per kilogram of meat has increased by more than 30% in 10 days, going from 3300 FCFA to 4500 FCFA in local markets.
🚨 Thousands of travelers trying to reach Bamako are currently stranded in numerous border towns in Mali's neighboring countries, particularly in Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire.
🔹 The FAMa and the Russian 🇷🇺 paramilitaries of the Africa Corps must organize convoy escorts in order to break the blockade and supply the capital.
⚠️ The disruptive power of this JNIM terrorist minority brings to mind what's currently happening in Iran 🇮🇷, in the Strait of Hormuz, where the armed forces of the United States of America 🇺🇸 have launched Operation "Project Freedom" to ensure the security of maritime convoys, which are under direct threat from attacks by the Revolutionary Guards, who, though less militarily powerful, manage to penalize global oil trade.
A Russian Africa Corps mercenary in Mali uncovers a Belgian PRB-M3 pressure-activated blast anti-vehicle landmine. He is checking to see whether this specimen is the PRB-M3-A1 variant, which has secondary fuze wells for installing booby traps. https://t.co/9B3kuRvekJpic.twitter.com/zSb789P1qx
Urgent 🔴
ISIS Threatens World's Largest Precious Stones Mining Mine
ISIS launched an attack yesterday targeting Nakouja village in northern Mozambique, burning down about 220 homes and a church for Christians
As a result, the British mining company Ruby ERM was forced to evacuate the world's largest diamond and ruby mining mine, named MRM, and halt mining operations there
Posted by: badanov ||
05/07/2026 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[1807 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
Around 28 April, fighters from the Darul Gazuwa faction of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), reportedly under the command of Alai Kale, attacked Mada village near Kumshe in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State, in northeast Nigeria. At least 10 Shuwa Arab… pic.twitter.com/x12VXyZjYq
Around 28 April, fighters from the Darul Gazuwa faction of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS),
…known more familiarly as Boko Haram…
reportedly under the command of Alai Kale, attacked Mada village near Kumshe in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State, in northeast Nigeria. At least 10 Shuwa Arab herders were killed during the incident, reportedly after refusing to comply with the group’s demand for taxes.
The herders are said to have resisted these demands on the grounds that they already pay levies to ISWAP, which maintains a more consistent presence in communities along the Cameroon border and has established its own taxation system. In contrast, Darul Gazuwa elements operate more intermittently in the area. During the encounter, the herders refused to surrender cattle or money, which triggered the attack.
In addition to the fatalities, the fighters seized 11 motorcycles and several locally fabricated firearms belonging to the herders, while also setting some of their properties ablaze.
A particularly concerning aspect of the incident is the reported presence of a young child, who seems to be no older than 10 years, among the Darul Gazuwa fighters, suggesting a possible continued pattern of child involvement in armed operations.
Posted by: badanov ||
05/07/2026 00:00 ||
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[1816 views]
Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)
#1
Darul Gazuwa faction of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad
#Yemen| Newly appointed Abyan governor Mukhtar al-Rabash personally led a security operation today targeting highway bandits on the N4, Aden-Shabwa road, resulting in multiple arrests. The operation was filmed and reactions are mixed, with some calling it theatrics. Still, unlike… pic.twitter.com/vvx8OKMHB2
governor Mukhtar al-Rabash personally led a security operation today targeting highway bandits on the N4, Aden-Shabwa road, resulting in multiple arrests. The operation was filmed and reactions are mixed, with some calling it theatrics. Still, unlike many officials, he is on the ground and operational.
Trump announced the operation, meant to escort foreign vessels from the Strait of Hormuz, on Sunday. However, on Tuesday he declared that the operation would be halted in order to allow for talks with Iran.
The NBC News report indicated that Saudi Arabia revoked the American military’s ability to utilize its bases and sovereign airspace, forcing a suspension of the maritime operation just 36 hours after its inception.
— Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis__) April 5, 2026
You need better fake news — the video looks like poor quality AI. Then I did a search on the quote. Nothing at the Times of Israel, the Jerusalem Post, or Ha’aretz, and ChatGPT said:
No reliable evidence or credible source shows Israeli minister May Golan said that quote. Major fact-checkers and news outlets report no record of her making such a statement; the quote appears to be a fabricated or misattributed viral claim.
— trailing wife for the moderators at 10:40 a.m. EDT
Group used a Fiber-Optic FPV Kamikaze Drone; possibly carrying a PG-7 variant RPG warhead or Improvised Explosive Device (IED). pic.twitter.com/fucYbKsR6N
[IsraelTimes] Israeli leaders say target is chief of terror group’s elite Radwan Force; 7 soldiers hurt in Hezbollah drone attacks in south Lebanon
Israel on Wednesday evening carried out its first Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in Beirut since before the ceasefire in Lebanon entered into effect last month, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz saying the Air Force targeted the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
Hezbollah and Israel have continued to attack each other since US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... first announced a ceasefire on April 16, which has now largely unraveled, though fighting remains at a lower level than before.
After the Israeli Air Force struck the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, a Hezbollah stronghold, Netanyahu and Katz issued a joint statement saying, "The IDF has just struck in Beirut the commander of the Radwan Force in the Hezbollah terror organization to eliminate him."
The Israeli leaders said Radwan Force operatives "were responsible for firing [rockets] at Israeli communities and harming IDF soldiers."
"No terrorist has immunity, Israel’s long arm will reach every enemy and murderer. We promised to bring security to the residents of the north. This is how we act, and this is how we will continue to act," they added.
A source close to Hezbollah told AFP that "Malek Ballout, the operations commander in the Radwan Force," was killed in the Israeli strike.
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately comment on the rare strike in the Lebanese capital, the first in almost a month, with the last having been on April 8 — after Trump asked Israel to stop targeting Beirut.
Earlier on Wednesday, seven Israeli soldiers were maimed in Hezbollah explosive drone attacks in southern Lebanon, as the Iran-backed terror group continued to launch attacks on troops and on northern communities.
According to the IDF, Hezbollah launched several explosive drones and rockets at Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon throughout the day.
In one incident, a soldier was seriously maimed, and three more were lightly hurt by an explosive drone. One more soldier was severely maimed in another attack. And in the morning hours, two drones went kaboom! near Israeli forces, injuring one soldier moderately and another lightly.
All seven troops were taken to hospitals, and their families were notified, the army said.
In other incidents on Wednesday, rockets and drones struck near forces in the army’s Lebanon buffer zone without causing injuries, while a drone launched by Hezbollah was shot down over southern Lebanon, according to the IDF.
On Wednesday morning, an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah struck in Israeli territory. No injuries were caused in the attack.
The IDF Home Front Command said it would be extending the warning times for rocket fire from Lebanon in 49 communities in the upper, lower, and central Galilee, where currently only 30 seconds are given.
They include 46 communities moving from 30 seconds to 45 seconds, and three communities moving to a full minute. The move will take effect starting Thursday at 4 p.m., according to the Home Front Command.
The continued festivities in the north have underlined challenges facing US efforts to forge peace between Israel and Lebanon, which held rare face-to-face talks last month. Hezbollah has fiercely objected to the government’s decision to hold negotiations with Israel.
Despite the ceasefire reached between Israel and Lebanon in mid-April, which has since been extended into May, Hezbollah has fired rockets and drones at northern Israeli communities, though most attacks have been on troops in southern Lebanon or on the Israeli side of the border.
IDF LAUNCHES WAVE OF STRIKES; MAYOR’S HOME REPORTEDLY HIT
The IDF said on Wednesday it launched a wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas of southern Lebanon after issuing evacuation warnings for 12 villages in southern Lebanon.
Residents of Kaouthariyet al-Saiyad, Ghassaniyeh, Mazraat al-Daoudiyeh, Bedias, Rihan, Zellaya, Bazouriye, Harouf, Habboush, Ansariyeh, Qalaouiyeh, and Deir ez-Zahrani were instructed to evacuate at least a kilometer away.
Most of the villages are located north of the Litani River.
Lebanese media outlets reported that a strike hit the home of the mayor of the village of Zellaya, Ali Qassem.
According to the reports, women and kiddies were among those killed and maimed.
According to al-Manar, several members of the mayor’s family were killed and maimed. Earlier, the Lebanese Health Ministry said that four people were killed and five were maimed in the strike on the village.
In response to a query by The Times of Israel, the IDF said it had struck a weapons depot in Zellaya.
The military said it was aware of deaths caused by the strike, but stated that it had taken "steps to mitigate harm to civilians as much as possible, including the use of a precision munition and aerial surveillance."
The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson published the evacuation notice at 9:05 a.m. Initial posts on social media reporting strikes on the village emerged several minutes later. Official announcements regarding those killed and maimed in the strikes were published in the afternoon.
Meanwhile,
...back at the argument, Jane reached into her purse for her .38... the IDF said it killed several Hezbollah operatives in strikes on buildings being used by the terror group in the western sector of southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in southern Lebanon, the IDF said it struck 25 Hezbollah targets in the past day, including weapon depots.
Earlier, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli airstrikes in the southern Lebanon towns of Reshknanay and Safad al-Battikh. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the strikes.
Overnight, an Israeli dronezap in the town of Deir Kifa maimed three paramedics of Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Authority, according to NNA.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
