Federal agents descend on MacArthur Park. Some locals question the show of force

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Federal agents returned to MacArthur Park on Thursday, less than a month after a raid targeting suspected drug smugglers.

“This is a continuation of Free MacArthur Park,” Anthony Chrysanthis, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Los Angeles office, told reporters. “I told everybody when I was here that day: This is not a one-day operation.”

“We will come out again. It might be tomorrow, it might be next week,” he said. “We are here for the long haul.”

The Los Angeles Police Department said officers made 13 arrests and issued six citations during Thursday’s operation, which began at around 3:10 p.m. Authorities drove off about an hour and a half later.

Capt. Benedict Fernandes of LAPD’s Rampart Division said the six citations were issued for “smoking in public” and other “quality of life issues.” Arrests were made for alleged offenses including drinking in public, being under the influence of narcotics, an outstanding misdemeanor warrant and bringing bulky items or “large encampments” into the park, Fernandes said.

At least one Westlake resident dismissed the operation as political theater.

“It’s all for show because if they really wanted to arrest the people they’re after, they wouldn’t do it this way. It’s political — it’s about winning votes,” said Delia Sandoval, who has worked at a nearby market for five years.

Federal agents returned to MacArthur Park on Thursday, less than a month after a raid targeting suspected drug smugglers.

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Marina Peña

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The LA Local

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Video posted to the DEA Los Angeles office’s Instagram account showed agents walking through the park with a loudspeaker, ordering people to turn over illegal narcotics. Aerial footage from KTLA showed dozens of agents in the park.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Thursday’s operation marks the next phase of “Operation Free MacArthur Park,” which will involve a sustained law enforcement presence in the park to crack down against public drug use and possession of narcotics.

DEA and LAPD officers will come unannounced to carry out regular sweeps of the park, Essayli said.

“It could be any day, any time, and it could be once a week, multiple times a week, we’re not gonna announce it, but they’re gonna come and do these regular sweeps and any laws that are being violated will be enforced,” he said.

In May, federal authorities arrested at least 18 people and searched businesses in Westlake as part of an investigation into an alleged fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking network operating in and around the park. The operation left some businesses surrounding the park ransacked, and at the time, multiple owners told The LA Local they had nothing to do with the drug trade.

On Thursday, it didn’t appear that authorities had searched any additional businesses. But workers had mixed feelings about the operation.

“They’re terrorizing our communities. This is just going to hurt street vendors like me and also other small businesses in the area,” one street vendor told The LA Local, who asked not to be named because of her immigration status. “I haven’t considered leaving the area just because I have my customers here.”

Lucia Damian co-owns La Palmera, a Guatemalan restaurant close to Alvarado and 7th streets. Alvarado was shut down to traffic during the operation.

“On the one hand, it’s good for them to go after people that are trafficking drugs, but on the other hand, it really hurts us because business goes down,” Damian said.

Speaking to reporters at the park, District Attorney Nathan Hochman vowed to improve conditions and said he would bring his family there for a picnic on Labor Day.

“If anyone’s actually seen the people suffering from this illegal drug use, you would think we were in a third-world country. You would could not imagine we’re in Los Angeles, circa 2026,” he said. “We’re just not gonna make MacArthur Park a cemetery anymore.”