Federal and local law enforcement officers carried out a major drug sweep at MacArthur Park on Thursday, moving more than 100 federal officials and LAPD officers through the park in what authorities described as a targeted operation. Officials said the action was aimed at drug-related criminal activity inside the park and had no connection to immigration enforcement.
At least five people were seen being detained during KTLA coverage, and at least two people were detained in ABC7 video from the scene. Authorities have not released a public arrest total for Thursday's operation, leaving one of the most basic questions about the sweep unanswered even as officers pressed ahead in the park.
The operation comes after a similar May raid that led to 18 arrests in MacArthur Park and in other parts of Los Angeles County, including Calabasas, San Gabriel and South L.A. In that case, authorities said they seized nearly 19 kilograms of fentanyl, valued by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli at about $8 million to $10 million, and said they believed the drugs were tied to the Sinaloa cartel.
Thursday's sweep was described by one official as the third phase of Operation Free MacArthur Park, while another report said it was the second phase of the same effort. However it is numbered, the message from authorities was the same: the park is staying under pressure. DEA Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis said agents are here and will come back as needed, adding that officials are taking a united stand to free MacArthur Park and that their presence will remain.
Los Angeles officials have cast the effort as part of a wider push to clean up the park ahead of Labor Day 2026 and to confront what they say has become an open-air drug market tied to fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking. Nathan Hochman said law enforcement will continue to target drug operations there and that organizations and nonprofits will be brought in to help with compassionate assistance.
The friction inside that message is hard to miss. Authorities say the sweep is about drug crime, not immigration, but it unfolded against years of public concern over safety at MacArthur Park and a series of enforcement actions that have so far not produced a publicly released Thursday arrest total. For now, the next step is more of the same: officers back in the park, with officials saying the operation will continue as needed.
